Torn Apart
by StickieBun
Summary: Abuse, betrayal, hurt, and a court order due to treason brings together two friends into something more. But can they save each other from their own darkness's? (Warning noncon)
1. Late

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 1**

Ronald's lip trembled as he surveyed himself in the mirror. His shoulder, down his arm, and up his neck an angry dark mix of purples, blues, and even some greenish-yellows. Flinching, he touched his shoulder, wondering just how long this one would last. Reapers could heal much worse in only a few hours, but he wasn't the average reaper. He had started healing much, much slower as his body was constantly having to regenerate the damaged cells, healing injury after injury. In fact, he still had a bit of a nasty black bruise further down his body from a week before. Shaking his head, he pulled on his shirt, folding the collar up a little higher than he usually did in order to hide the bruise, and tightening his tie properly for once in order to hold it in place. No one could see the bruise—no one could know. It had to stay secret. Pulling on the rest of his clothes, he checked to make sure each cut and bruise was covered properly before leaving his apartment to head for work, skipping breakfast again.

Readying himself, the battered blond forced his usual bright, care-free smile onto his face before entering Dispatch and clocking in before hurrying up to his cubicle on the collections floor.

It was a normal morning for Eric Slingby.

A fresh start to a warm bed, warm body and soft kisses pressed to his shoulder a fingers traced up and down along the scars of his back. Coffee before seven, with a gentle touch to the side, hands caressing his hips and waist, drawing smooth down the front of his pants until the zipper was taken hold of. Moaning cries of bliss and pleasure ranked top in the apartment complex broke the still of morning, the display finished with a another smooch to the cheek and a wave goodbye, as she sauntered out the door and the night was all but a history behind them.

Yes, another successful hunt for the beastly lion.

The Scottish tomcat whistled a happy tune, sauntering into the office, throwing a devious smirk at a small group of rookies awaiting orders, scattering them in all directions like mice. Oh yes, and like little rodents they were, meek and trembling - such a thrill he got intimidating them with his prowess.

He was the King, and such a title and status was well known throughout the dispatch ranks, especially those of the lower levels. It was always a joy to scurry down after lunch, waiting for the little hedgehogs to come forth from the bowels of Management, only to squeal and curl away into little balls of pin pricks and scolding as the lion himself laughed and roared in triumph - or at the very least ran before overtime was assigned.

But of course, there was more than just the King on the higher levels of the Dispatch. While down on floor one through four, he was a terror, five through fourteen a king, and fifteen a nuisance, floor sixteen was where his beloved reign ended with the mighty power and rule of one strong 'emperor of the office' -William T. Spears.

The man was a stoic heart of stone, like a silent deer itself, eerie and terrifying in his own right, but not without grace. Eric had half an impression that the man was of more than one background, concluded through one instance of the eavesdropping of a couple of foreign cusses sent in his direction beneath a muttered breath. The blond swore up and down the man had it in for him.

Swinging around the corner, brushing - and not-so-accidently knocking down the pile of papers in hand - past a rather curious man of red hair and feminine disposition - Grell Sutcliff. The man was a wolf in his own right, beautiful yet deadly fierce and violent, able to switch between graceful to dangerous in a split second of a blink of the eye.

"OI! WATCH IT, GIT! " the wolf screeched, shaking an angry fist at the sniggering lion. "One of these days, you'll get yours, Slingby! "

"When I'm dead! Oh, wait... already there, and I _do_ get some! " the man roared, laughing from his gut, sliding into his desk, directly across from a certain brunet's and beside a mousy blond's - the latter of which seemed to have arrived early for once.

His lips curled into a sinister smile.

Perfect - prey spotted, game started.

Ronald had arrived moments earlier and was sitting in his chair, rather uncomfortably, but he ignored his discomfort as he did every day, hunching over his paperwork as he messily filled it out. Finishing the stack he should have finished the night before, he picked it up and spun his chair around, pushing the wheeled-bottom office chair over to his 'out' box, only to run into Eric who stood in the way of his chair's path, causing him to slam right into the large muscular man. "Senpai…wrong cubicle." He stated simply, backing away to put a comfortable distance between his face and the man's belt.

Eric put a hand on the chair, halting it to a stop before yanking back, reeling the blond in with a devious smirk. Hook, line, and sinker, the boy had been caught in the lion's trap.

Time to have some fun before work began - though he knew he would be in for a scolding later from an unamused Alan Humphries.

"'Eyyy, Ronnie, little buddy... Listen, ya know tha' five pounds ya owe me...?" he drawled, swinging the blond's chair about to bring them face to face.

"You mean the five pounds I paid back by covering your tab last night?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes, "Honestly, if you are going to run off with some little skirt, then pay your tab next time!"

Eric press a finger to his lips, hushing the boy with expertise - he was the master of touch, after all. At least, by his standards - sometimes he had to agree that Sutcliff's lewd actions around William proved successful, evident by the loud moans and caterwauls floating up through the supervisors office door; nature's own songs of passion, without the lessons needed for perfection.

"Now, now, wee mousy, I only jest... So, who'd ya bang las' night?" he purred, nodding his head in notice of a small little red spot on the blond's neck, too discrete to be disguised as a pimple, freckle or zit.

"No one!" He gasped, clamping his hand at his neck on the side of the bruise, rather than the love bite, worried that someone would see. Though the action was soon regretted due to the pain it caused. He flinched, but tried to cover it by rubbing the back of his neck, "And who're you callin' a 'mousey'?"

The little action never escaped Eric's notice, yet he ignored it, passing it off as a result of the presumed blond's obvious love fest the night before. He smacked the younger man on the shoulder, a cheeky grin upon his face.

"Liar, liar, scythe on fire!" he chuckled, tapping the boy on the nose. "Why so nervous 'bout a couple o' love bite? 'M covered 'n 'em!"

Ronald let out a small cry of pain and pulled back, "Be gentle!" he protested, "Big hairy bruit… I did not go home with anyone, nor did I take someone home. I paid both our tabs and left. That is all." He lied. He'd been lying a lot as of late. No one could know who he'd gotten involved with. No one could know his situation.

Eric frowned slightly, watching as the blond wheeled away, blinking as the sight of yet another rather blemishing bruise struck out from underneath the shirt collar. Reaching out, he grabbed the blond back, practically pulling the boy off the chair against him, scanning him over with narrowed eyes.

"Huh..."

Ron raised his eyebrow, "What?" He wiggled out of the man's grip and turned away, fixing his collar, hoping Eric didn't see the dark bruise, "Come on, Senpai, You'll put me behind in my paperwork, and I'll have overtime for sure! You know how much I hate that!"

Eric said nothing, but decided to push no further - it was bluntly obvious that he was going to get nothing else out of the blond. Brushing the issue aside, he merely shrugged, sauntering over to his own desk, plunking his rear into his chair with a lazy sigh.

Stacks of paperwork and files covered the overlay of the wooden surface, not an empty space in sight amidst the mess. Pens lay scattered about, some close enough to rolling right off the side, ink doting sheets in tiny flecks. Cups of unfinished coffee sat lonely in the corner, next to a picture frame - a photo of Eric and Alan when the youth had been but a student to the blond, studious and hard working.

Ron sighed and put the papers into their place before sitting again, turning back to his own work, relieved that Eric seemed to drop the subject easily.

Eric left the subject alone, knowing all to well that the blond would not be cooperative. Still, he found it odd that Ronald, one of the biggest womanizers in the Dispatch (after him of course; he had a reputation to keep as King), had acted so secretive and nervous about his love life - out of nowhere, he suddenly recoiled from boasting about who he slept with, what he did, just his entire life in general.

But there were other changes that concerned the blond; lately, the youth appeared to be coming in later to work, hung over and unkempt, exhausted to the point he was doing a face plant upon his reports.

He ate less, cared less, and overall was diminishing his own health at the expense of... what? That was the big question not one Reaper could seem to answer - whatever Ronald was trying to hide, he did a damn good job of it.

Twas a pity that Eric found he was the only one to notice.


	2. Late again

**Torn Apart  
**

**Chapter 2**

Yawning, Ronald left the office late that night, having run into unavoidable overtime…again. He was just so tired, he hadn't been able to help falling asleep at his desk and nearly missing a collection all together. He hated overtime, he always had. But now it was for a completely different reason. While before, overtime interfered with his partying and dating; now it made him late.

He hurried as fast as he could to his small flat in the middle of Mortal London. He had chosen to live in that location so that it'd be easier getting home when he was drunk. He always had difficulties with portals to the Reaper Realm when he was intoxicated. Arriving home, he threw open the door and shuffled in, closing it and kicking off his shoes.

"You're late" a smooth voice purred from the shadows.

Footsteps echoed across the wooden floors, the lights flickering on an off as a dark, eerie aura swept through the flat. A sinister chuckle broke the silence, like thunder in a storm, dark and intimidating. From out of the shadows, a pair of blood red eyes gleamed.

"Has my pet forgotten his place?"

A tailored suit, polished black dress shoes.

"Has he dost not remembered who his master is?"

White gloves hiding thin hands, fingers long and skinny like a pianist's.

"It is but a simple measure..."

Jet black hair, and a raven's cunning smile.

"My darling Ronald."

"S-Sebastian…I…had overtime…" Ronald said, his eyes raising to look up at his lover, "I'm sorry if you had to wait long…" casually, he removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack near the door, walking over to Sebastian and hoping he was in a good mood. He did love the demon, after all, and he hated fearing him. Their relationship had started off so well. Their dates, the romance…the sex. Scythe, the sex was good… One thing about dating a demon…the man knew what he was doing.

But somewhere along the line things had started to change. After a year of being happy together, Sebastian started to grow violent and unpredictable…controlling and demanding. Where he used to make dinner for Ronald and give him a nice backrub after a long day of overtime, he started growing irritable at the thought of Ronald not getting home when he was supposed to, which resulted in one of two things…punishment, or the cold shoulder.

But the demon was still sweet! Always making up for his actions with flowers, or taking him out to someplace nice… He made sure to remind Ronald just why he loved him.

To the unfortunate beholder's eye, Sebastian wore a sickly sweet smile, a kindled fire dancing in crimson red eyes.

"My dear... There are many things one my do to ensure the place of others, glue together the pecking order. As such, sometimes, we must... remind ourselves that certain measures may have to be taken to cement those reasonings, don't you agree?"

He walked around the blond, standing tall behind him with a menacing aura, a clawed hand reaching out to snag the boy's arm, slowly twisting it about. "I apologize, darling, but you really must learn to listen... I deal with one child already, I do not need another. Please try to understand, love, I am doing this for your own—" The arm was twisted and turned clockwise, in full circle until a loud crack was heard. "—good."

Ronald cried out, tears springing to his eyes and his knees buckling, though the reaper was still held up by the demon's grip on his now broken arm. Lacking all grace, the reaper scrambled to regain his stance without success, reaching over to clutch his upper arm where the bone had clearly snapped in half, "S-Sebastian, I'm sorry!"

The demon repressed a snort, letting the arm fall without care or hesitance. Staring hawkishly at the boy lying crippled with pain on the floor, a smirk crossed his lips.

"Oh, but I am not so sure, my sweet... do you truly speak the truth? I may have to... punish you a bit more."

Fear flickered across the reaper's face, "Sebastian…no, please…don't!" Ronald pushed himself up and rested his forehead against his lover's leg, "What happened..? Why are you acting like this? Everything…had been so perfect…"

Disgust briefly flickered across the demon's face, as he pushed the blond away. He loomed over him, eyes glowing a soft fuchsia pink.

"Why, Ronald? Why indeed... Have you ever, perhaps, considered that this was your doing?"

"I'm sorry…" Ronald flinched, which caused more pain to flair up in his broken arm, "Sebastian…What…how can I fix it? Please! Tell me and I'll do my best—j-just don't…hurt me anymore…please!"

Sebastian blinked slowly.

"My dear, that is for you to figure out on your own... I cannot tell you" the man stated. "Now come, I have prepared you a hot bath and meal."

He held his hand out, the look of malice and spite replaced by a kind smile and gentle aura.

Ronald relaxed a bit and sighed, taking the demon's hand and letting him pull him up. He then cradled his broken arm and popped up on his toes to press a light kiss to Sebastian's lips, "Thank you."

Sebastian chuckled, patting the Reaper on the back, leading him into the kitchen. Unnoticed by the blond, his expression bore a much more sinister air, fangs protruding from his lips. The crow purred, the smell of something much more delicious than the dinner he had so 'lovingly' cooked up wafting in the air. Soon, very soon, the urge would take over and the prey would be his.

The question was, could the predator hold off until then?

"S-Sebastian..?" Ronald asked, almost hesitantly as he sat down where his meal was laid out for him, and fumbling with his fork. He was right handed, and Sebastian had broken his right arm. "Do you think…you could help wrap my…my arm?" he was taking a chance—and he knew it.

The demon regarded him with a blank face, as if mulling over his request. Then he smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the boy's cheek.

"Of course darling... But remind me, where are the bandages?"

"Bathroom cabinet." Ron said with a small smile, "Thank you…you really are good to me…" he said, looking at the delicious meal the demon had prepared.

"Of course, love" the demon smiled, venturing off into the bathroom. "I only want what's best for you, my darling."

Ronald smiled through the pain in his body—mostly his arm at this point—and began to eat. Sebastian really was a sweet lover…he was lucky to have caught the demon's eye.

Sebastian rummaged through the cupboards, pulling out a roll of bandages and a sling. Pausing for a moment, he pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, green and filled with a darkened liquid.

Uncorking it, he took a couple of drops and landed them upon the gauze, watching with interest as they spread out over the cotton, dousing it black before returning to a snowy white.

Replacing the bottle, he gathered the supplies, moving back into the kitchen.

"How is it, love? Feeling _better_?"

"Not much…" _not at all_, but Ronald wasn't going to say that. Instead he smiled up at his lover, masking his pain, "But I'm sure with your help I will. Dinner's delicious as usual, too." He added, knowing the demon liked the praise.

Indeed, Sebastian did chuckle, carrying the bandages and glue and sling over to the table, setting in beside the blond. Taking his wounded arm into his hands, he examined it for a moment, poked the injury, then grabbed a roll of gauze.

"Shirt off."

Ronald carefully, and one-handedly removed his vest and shirt, trying not to move his broken arm too much. He looked at the wound and grimaced at the dark bruise formed around the break, his arm bent at an unnatural angle.

Sebastian took the arm, gingerly running his fingertips along the bruise, his eyes glittering in the sift candle light. Grabbing the bandages, he unraveled them carefully, the smell of the toxin only noticeable to him.

Wrapping the end around the injured appendage, he held the arm steady as a searing pain shot up through the wound into the bloodstream.

"Calm yourself, darling... the pain will fade in a few minutes."

The pain had been enough to make Ronald drop his fork and grip the edge of the table with a gasp, fresh tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. The pain didn't feel natural…maybe the demon had applied a salve of some kind to the bandages? "I—I'm fine, I just…didn't expect it to burn that much…"

"That's good. I applied anti-toxin to the gauze" the man lied, checking the tightness of the bandages, his eyes flashing a shade of fuchsia. "My darling, how are you feeling?"

He stood, collecting the supplies, not-so-accidentally brushing against the blond in a lewd manner, a low smirk upon his face. "_Tired_ at all?"

Ronald blushed and nodded, "Of course I am…it's not all that surprising…I had a long day, after all." He gave a yawn, feeling his eyes grow heavy and burn with tears when he forced them to stay open. "I'm sorry if you had wanted to do things tonight—I don't think I'll be able to—hahh!" Ron had stood up, his head growing overly dizzy and he lost balance, falling back into the chair, though the weight was off center and he still toppled over, groaning as he hit the floor.

Sebastian tutted, reaching down to check on his lover. Feeling his forehead, he hummed softly to himself, feigning mock concern.

"Beloved, you are running a terrible fever" he voiced, pulling a façade of worry. "Come, off to bed with you..."

The blond nodded, having no reason to protest after his embarrassing trip to the floor of his own kitchen. He wrapped his good arm around the demon's neck, "You're so good to me…I love you, Sebastian…"

"And I, you" the man purred, lifting the blond into his arms, carrying him away from the kitchen, making a beeline straight for the bedroom.

If anything at all, he was going to have a load of fun tonight.

-x-

The next morning Ronald awoke late—very late. It was already noon by the time he had awoken, and between his lateness to work and his tired, sore, broken body, he skipped over the idea of a shower and spent entirely too long trying to get dressed with his broken arm before rushing off to dispatch for what he knew would be a lecture—and overtime.

He arrived in the dispatch building, clocking in at 1:10PM, when he had supposed to have done so at 7:00AM. He cringed, hurrying to the lift and waiting for the doors to open so he could arrive just in time for his lecture from one William T. Spears.

William had been having a very trying day - first, with an incident in the morning involving his rather flamboyant redheaded lover and their dog, then a screw up regarding last night's reports (which were handed in by one particular Ronald Knox), missed fieldwork (again, Knox), and then to find himself in deep trouble with the Head Office because the blond never bothered to show up.

Fuming and completely on edge, it seemed that only Grell would dare to approach the man, and even then the redhead seemed to put some distance between the two of them, waiting until William cooled down to approach him.

Hearing the lift open, and the tall tell of rushed footsteps, the man growled, snapping slightly.

"Knox! My office, now!"

Ronald flinched, causing pain in his broken arm. Why did William's office have to be so close to the lifts? Sighing and holding his arm, he moved slowly into the man's office, head hanging low, "I—I know I'm late…and I'm sorry, sir…"

"I don't want to hear excuses, Knox! Do you have any idea of how much trouble you have caused in the last twenty-four hours for me?" the man hissed, his face bright red with rage. "Because of you, half of the staff spent at least eleven hours in overtime, and on top of that, the High Council is considering an entire 'inspection' of the facility!"

"I—I wasn't making excuses! I admitted I was late and I said I was sorry for it!" Ron protested, looking up at the workaholic. "I over slept—it's my fault and I know it…I'm sorry, I never meant to make so much trouble…"

"Don't you dare even _try_ to talk back to me, Knox! It doesn't matter! Mistakes like this are never meant to happen; now everyone's job may be on the line." William seethed, running a hand through his hair. "You have about five hours worth of overtime tonight, and that's not even the beginning of it! I want you here everyday starting tonight, and until I see this situation resolved, I am confiscating your scythe!"

"B-but sir! I can't…" he gasped before he could stop himself. He couldn't work that much overtime…Sebastian would be disappointed in him…again.

Why couldn't he do anything right?

"I don't want to hear it, Knox! Now leave - I expect you to stay on top of your work for the rest of today, do you understand?" the stoic Reaper snarled, ushering the blond from the office.

Ronald was rushed out, the door slamming behind him, hitting his broken arm which still hung in it's sling. He yelped in pain, and groaned, shuffling over to his cubicle where he could already see piles upon piles of paperwork.

Along the way, Reapers seemed to glare and curse in his general direction, eyes narrowed behind glasses.

"Great job, Knox!"

"Yeah, thanks a ruddy bunch, you twit!"

"What the hell were you doing, boozing yourself again?"

Voices rose to an angry yell, many of the men and women put off by the sudden drop of work upon their shoulders. Not one paid heed to the blond's injury nor his obvious exhaustion and stress - it was as if the entire Dispatch had turned against him overnight.

One reaper—a black haired bruit with a nasty temper, stood up, crumpling a sheet of paper and threw it, watching as it hit Ron right above his glasses, "Be glad I'm too busy to go over there and do more ya bloody twat!"

Ronald flinched, saying nothing as he bent over and picked up the paper, tossing it into the trash in his cubicle and sitting low in his chair as the hateful hisses continued his way. He pulled out a pen and grabbed the first of many sheets of paperwork.

Eric grumbled to himself, cursing as he exited the washroom, stomping down the hall. Reapers veered out of his way, left and right, not wanting to get involved with the angry Scotsman.

"Three weeks... Three fuckin' weeks!"

Overtime was a real bitch, especially when William decided to make everyone else suffer for it, too. Spending an entire day in an office filled with cranky, tired and aggressive other coworkers was _not_ what the man had in mind when he woke up that morning.

Moving back into the office, he paused at the sound of hateful hisses and spitting insults, turning his head to glare at the source of the entire problem.

"Oi, Knox! Gotta bone ta pick with ya!" he growled, storming over to the blond's desk.

Ron sighed, tired of the confrontations. He slammed down his pen and turned his seat around, "Yes, I know I fucked up! No I was not out drinking, and no I wasn't trying to get everyone—including myself—overtime! So save it and get back to work so you can get done this much sooner." He snapped, not even realizing who had been approaching him.

A moment later, he found himself slammed down against the desk, a hand painful clenching a fistful of hair as the angry Scotsman breathed down his neck.

"I wan' ya ta try tha' again, you little shit... Nice, and, proper!" he snarled, eyes blazing with a fury.

Aside from being well known as a womanizer, Eric was also notorious for having an unspeakably bad temper.

Ronald cried out in pain, tears pricking at his eyes. The angle his body had been forced into agitated the many hidden bruises and cuts along his body, the edge of his desk slamming particularly hard into a large, fresh bruise in his side.

Eric growled slightly, waiting for a response; his temper and anger had gotten the better of him, mulling over his sensibility. He failed to notice the pain the blond was in or the fact that one of the bruises had started to bleed.

"Pl-please…" Ron managed to whisper through the tears he was holding back from falling down his cheeks, "I know…I know I deserve it—it's my fault, but please..it—h-hurts…"

"Wha', yer pride?" Eric snorted, pausing slightly as the collar of the blond's shirt shift, displaying a very large, very irritated bruise around his neck. "The 'ell?"

Ron whimpered, looking up at Eric with the expression akin to that of an abused and scolded pet, "Please—it hurts…"

Without another word, Eric picked the boy up by the scruff, dragging him from his desk down the hall to the bathrooms. Once inside, he tossed the blond to the side, locking the door tightly.

"... Wha' the fuck is wrong with ya?" he growled.

Ronald lost his balance, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor next to the sink, "…Nothing…I'm fine, Senpai...I just made another mistake is all…"

"Bullshit" Eric snorted, moving over to the other blond. "Yer a fuckin' bad liar, Knox. I see the bruises on yer skin - tha' ain' from field work."

"I…I fell down the stairwell in my apartment complex." He lied.

But Eric didn't seem to buy it.

"Ron, ya live on the bottom floor!" he glowered. Something was definitely up.

Long before the start of the New Year, Eric and Ronald spent time after work together; going out to pubs, getting drunk, picking up dates, then crashing at each other's places. Yet, as the months dragged on, Ronald became suddenly distant, closing himself off to everyone around including his once best friend.

It was concerning.

"It doesn't mean I don't go up a few floors sometimes!" Ron protested, intent on keeping his secret. He grunted as he picked himself up, using the sink as a crutch as his one arm was useless. "Besides, it's not as bad as it looks. A few bruises, big deal. They heal up fast enough."

Eric raised an eyebrow.

"'A few bruises'? Ron, ya've had th' same bruises fer over a month now! A month! Tha' ain' normal, even fer human standards!" the man retorted.

Though, deep down he knew he was getting no where with the blond. He knew he'd have to find other measures to keep an eye on him; there was no way he was letting this go.

"You're imagining things. There's no way it's been there longer than a few hours!" Ron protested again, "What do you care anyway? You just added to my bruises not even ten minuets ago! Thanks for that. Anyway. It's nothing. I had a clumsy moment, and I'm sorry I was so late today, okay? I overslept is all. I put in a lot of overtime last night."

"Bull. I know yer lyin' Ronald Knox" the man growled. "Now listen 'ere." He slammed his hands against the wall, cracks appearing beneath his palms, his breath hot on the younger man skin as he leaned inward. "I will find out wha' yer hidin', an ya can bet yer ass the whole office is gonna hear 'bout! Dun fuck with me, Knox!"

A scared look crossed the boy's face as he looked up into the older reaper's eyes, "There's…nothing to find out…" he whispered hoarsely. "Can I get back to work? I have a lot of it…"

He needed a drink…a strong one.

Eric eyed him coldly, gaze looming and intimidating. But, regardless, he obliged, moving his arm aside to let the blond through. Watching him run back, he growled quietly to himself.

Something was definitely up, and whatever it was, he was going to find out… Tonight.


	3. Caught in the Act

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 3**

Ronald didn't finish his overtime assignments until nearly two in the morning, and he was alone in the offices. With a tired sigh, he picked himself up and shuffled to the lift, having it take him down to the main floor. Leaving the building, he stopped by a nearby pub, not yet closed for the night, and he ordered a bottle of scotch, paying the tender and leaving, the bottle pressed to his lips as he shuffled home.

Why was his life such a mess? It was falling apart all around him—and it was all his fault. He couldn't do anything right. Even now, he knew he shouldn't be drinking—but he needed it, desperately.

Once he was home, he was unsurprised to find the door unlocked. Sebastian was there—and likely angry at him again for getting back so late. He downed another swig from the bottle before pushing the door open and swaggering in.

Eric had remained behind long past hours, keeping himself hidden in the shadows like a prowling cat - a lion, such as he was - watching Ronald work away tirelessly. He frowned, his brow furrowing - something just didn't seem to sit well with him regarding the blond, mainly his currently change of physical state. Bruises, cuts, and now a broken arm - what the hell was the boy doing, falling down the stairs every night?

Shaking his head, he stalked the blond down through the busy streets of London, all the way from the Realm to the pub and finally to what was known as home to Ronald. Seeing the boy move about to the front entrance, he ran around to the side of the building, crouching low below a semi-open window, yet, no light seemed to turn on, no sounds from within. He knew Ronald had gone home, yet there was no evidence.

Ron quietly closed the door and kicked off his shoes, glancing around the main room of his apartment, "Seb?" he frowned, not seeing the demon. Maybe he just forgot to lock the doors on his rush out? Shrugging, he walked over, pulling closed the curtains.

A sudden force slammed into his side, pushing the blond off and into a chair, knocking them both to the ground. Ugly snarling and ruby red eyes glimmered in the darkness, a cool voice icily breaking the silence as a vice grip tightened around Ronald's throat.

"You're late... Tut, tut, little Reaper."

Ron's gasp was trapped as he was choked, the bottle of scotch flying out of his hand as he was bowled over, shattering against the floor. He struggled. No…no, please don't be angry! It wasn't his fault! …But it was.

"So-rry—" he managed to gasp out.

The man merely smirked, watching as the youth before him struggle and flail fruitlessly. "I do say... Sorry isn't enough, little one." he crooned softly, before advancing fully onto the blond.

He relished in the cries and screams, deaf to pleads for mercy and repent. Bruises formed quickly, cuts, welts…Sebastian inflicted them all because he could. Pulling away at last, gazing down at the broken, misused body, he sneered crushing his foot on the blond's chest.

"Now, then...Sweetheart... Are you 'something'? No. You are nothing, and you damn well know it. Come along, repeat it - I want to hear the words roll off your tongue - now repeat. 'I am nothing'."

Ronald let his head roll to the side, tears streaking his cheeks, "…I…I'm nothing…"

"Again" Sebastian urged, a wicked grin upon his face.

"I'm…nothing…" the blond whimpered.

"Good child," the demon cooed, hovering over the blond. "But-" He played with Ronald's belt, "- I do not believe you have learned your lesson yet."

Ron shook his head, "Please…please no more…"

But Sebastian merely chuckled, removing the boy's pants, shirt and jacket, leaving him bare and shamed.

"Now then..."

Taking the blond's arms, he slammed them down above his head, pinning him. He looked over the sight before him once, sneering in distaste. Then he set about with his work; it wasn't an act of pleasure, nor kindness.

It was cruel, painful and destructive - a sheer force threatening to rip the poor boy apart.

Ronald screamed and cried until his voice broke. Why? Why was Sebastian doing this? They loved each other and Ronald would make love to him without a second thought. So why…why was the demon suddenly acting as if he was raping him? There was absolutely no pleasure, and the demon filled him with his seed over and over again until it was leaking out. And still there was more. For hours. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon before Ronald lost consciousness, still being used and abused mercilessly.

Sebastian pulled away at last, wiping the blood and spit from his face. He examined countless injuries covering the boy's body - surely that would be enough to keep him chained and leashed.

Standing up, he brushed himself off, not even once bothering to retrieve his pants or undergarments. Wandering over to the kitchen, he retrieved a small bowl from the cupboard, filling it up with water. Taking a small bit of salt, he added a few teaspoons before venturing back into the living room.

"Wake up" he snapped, throwing the water over the blond, soaking him from head to toe.

Ron whimpered and twitched, but didn't awaken. He was exhausted, weak…all his body wanted to do was sleep.

Sebastian sighed in irritation. "Must I do this myself, little Reaper?" he growled, snapping his fingers with a glow of his eyes.

The reaper remained still. His breathing slow and shallow, almost as if it wasn't there at all.

Sebastian waited and patiently observed for another moment before snorting, dropping the bowl close to the blond head with a loud clatter. Walking away from the scene, he growled softly, moving to an open window. Perching on the ledge, he gave Ronald one last glance before jumping out, vanishing in a flurry of feathers and darkness.

Eric had since been drifting off between the spaces of sleep and awake, crouched outside the window. He hadn't heard the ongoing screams and pained cries, and had drifted off after loosing track of the time. However, the sound of the window opening and the ruffle of feathers had been enough to wake the shivering reaper. He got up, and stared a moment at the demon disappearing in the distance before he realized what he was seeing.

He turned around, but could not see nor find any means of entering into the house. Fumbling with a lock upon another window, he swore violently, eventually resorting to breaking it with his scythe.

Clambering into the house, he winced as the smell of rotting and decaying wood and food entered his nostrils. "What the hell?" when was the last time Ronald had cleaned up the place? He stepped about carefully, noting in the many broken, shattered and torn objects lying about. What seemed like a perfectly ordered room from the outside shimmered and flickered into nothingness the further he venture, the illusion giving way to what could only be described as a complete ruin of what once was a house.

Ronald lay on the floor of the living room, naked and broken. His arm now broken in two places, his skin marred head to toe in cuts and bruises. Blood and semen covering his body and the floor. His glasses lay broken a few feet away among the shards of a broken bottle and a puddle of scotch.

Eric could only stare at the sight that greeted him. Nothing could have prepared him for this. Every twitch and tremble the blond made, even while unconscious, little whimpers mingling with thick tears seemed to be something surreal, a nightmare of sorts.

Never once had Eric seen the boy in such a state - all because of this demon the blond had foolishly started seeing. He clenched his teeth; the idiot! What had he been thinking?!

Shaking his head, he moved quickly, leaning down to check the blond's pulse and temperature.

Ron flinched at the contact, whimpering. Sebastian just wasn't going to stop, was he? Couldn't he even let him sleep? Surely whatever he had done wrong didn't warrant him to be robbed of the rest he desperately needed… it roused him enough to speak, slow and weakly; "Seb…shouldn' you be…at wor-k..?"

Instead of hearing the familiar, cool voice of his 'lover', he was greeted with a gruff, Scottish accented tone. "I ain' yer damn 'Sebby', ya twat!"

Ron's eyes opened, a weak gasp escaping his lips. Though he was unable to do much else. His body refused to move. "Er-ic?"

The man nodded, frowning as he felt the boy's temperature sear against his hand - a fever. Feeling his pulse race, he carefully set about moving the blond into a more comfortable position. Lifting a hand under his back, he sat him upright, slipping his other under the legs. The boy needed help -fast.

"Wha' the flyin' fuck were ya thinking, ya git?!" he growled, picking the blond up with ease, carrying him swiftly over to the door.

"…I'm nothing." Ron repeated the words from hours before, his gaze down-cast. "Don't help me…I'm not worth it…"

"Wha'? Ya must be bloody bonkers if ya think I'm gonna leave ya there!" Eric cursed. "Yer gonna die if I do!"

He set out into the streets, ignoring the way men and women stared and whispered behind their retreating backs. The crowds seem to part for the Reaper, his posture and size enough to immediate even the mast brawny of men.

Like the King that he was.

The Lion pushed onwards, his sights set on a den familiar to his person - the den of the laughing mustang. Shared hereby with the current out-of-services gentle rabbit; otherwise known as the local Undertaker, and the residence of one Alan Humphries.

Knocking on the old oak door, eyeing the weathering sign stapled above; he billowed out with an agitated roar.

"'Ey, ya old fart, stop bangin' Al an' open the damn door up, I got a problem!"

"My fault…I deserve this…" Ron was muttering, eyes closed as his body was falling into slumber once more, "I deserved it all…"

"Not everyone has sex twenty-four seven, Eric Sling—" the door flew open and Alan, dressed in yellow pajamas and holding a mug of hot tea froze. "What happened?" he gasped, stepping aside, "Hurry—bring him in and set him down."

"Demon... an' not an ambush nor an attack, I'll tell ya that much" the man grunted, rage and fury burning in his eyes.

Something was obvious bothering him - that much the brunet could understand.

Wandering into the shop, he looked around, eyeing a small set of coffins proper against the wall.

"Come outta there, ya geezer!"

"Iiiiits too early for yelling…" a tired, muffled voice floated out of a coffin.

"Undertaker, get out here, we need you." Alan stated firmly, running to the back rooms where a bed was an grabbing his pillow, hurrying back to slip it under Ron's head as he was set down on the old sofa near the fireplace. "Rhea, it feels like death is turning on him rather than being apart of his being…" he muttered. Reapers could, after all, see the shadow of death surrounding humans and animals. Reapers were infused with it. But Ronald…his seemed to be overpowering him.

"Tha' ain' the worst" Eric said, bustling about to aid the brunet. "Idiot here has been screwin' around with a demon. The one from tha' manor outside o' town."

Undertaker wandered into the room, yawning tiredly whist rubbing the sleep from his hidden eyes. He peered over, taking one glance at Ronald before starting. "What in the name of Rhea?" he breathed.

"What do you mean? That doesn't sound like Ronald. If he was messing with that demon he had to be drunk—I'm sure!" Alan said, moving to get warm water and a cloth to clean up Ron's wounds.

"Ya didn't hear wha' I heard, Al... Kid's in love with the beast" Eric growled, pausing as Ronald whimpered.

He moved toward the couch, kneeling down beside the blond's head.

"Oi... Calm yerself, yer safe..." he hushed.

"…Demon's don't love, Eric…" Alan whispered, "They use people…if the demon's using Ronald, it's for a reason far greater than just to tear him apart…" he set down the bowl of water and handed Eric the clean cloth.

"I know" the man grunted. "Bastard doesn' seem ta like Ronnie in the first place - thing nearly tore him to shred an - Is that salt?!"

He examined one of the wounds upon Ronald's shoulder, seeing a rather gruesome cluster of crystals forming along the seam of the cut. Curiously, he reached out, tenderly poking it with the wet cloth.

Ron groaned in protest, his head falling to the side.

Alan sighed, "We need to keep him away from the demon at any rate…I'll go get some of my clothes he can borrow—we're close enough in size…" he stood up and headed back to get a simple shirt and some pants and boxers for Ronald, also grabbing the first aid kit from the bathroom.

Undertaker sat down, watching Eric as he cleaned Ronald's wounds; paying absolutely no mind to his own nude form as he crossed his legs and sat in thought.

Eric dabbed and cleaned at Ronald's wounds, pausing momentarily when the blond whimpered and grabbed his hand out of impulse. Still, shrugging his shoulders, he continued with his work, patching up the blond with gauze, stitches and bandages.

Alan helped, applying salves to the wounds before they were wrapped, and helping to cast Ron's broken arm, "…He really did a number on Ron…but some of these look old…how long has this been going on that he'd heal so slowly?"

"Dunno...a while I think. 'E's been actin' weird fer a couple o' months now" the man admitted. "Right... Ya haven' been in office few a few weeks...Everyone got pissed a' 'im yesterday due to him causing three weeks of overtime... for the entire facility. An' apparently our jobs are on the line now as well..."

The brunet blinked, "What? How? What on earth did he do?" Alan had been on leave due to his illness. He always hated when the doctors ordered he take time off work, but he couldn't help it. At least they let him stay at home with his lover. (No one knew how Alan ended up dating the Legendary Reaper known as Undertaker, they just knew that he was. And Alan wasn't one to talk about his privet life at work.)

"Gave everyone overtime fer three bloody weeks. Didn't show up ta his shift, missed field work, countless souls went missin', filed reports wrong, Will got pissed an' then ta make it all better, the Higher Ups came in only ta see the whole mess. Now they're revaluating the entire Dispatch an' everyone jobs - mine, his and especially Spear's - are on the line for dismissal!"

Undertaker let out a low whistle, silence ensuing the room before he started giggle. First quietly and to himself, then steadily getting lower and more abrupt. He fell onto his side, rolling about floor like the madman he was.

Eric inched away, a look of irritation and disbelief on his face. "Have I mentioned ta ya, that yer boyfriend 'ere is insane?" he said. "Al, do me a favor an' dun get pregnant from 'im. Yer kids will be fucked up as shit, dissectin' thin's and buildin' sand coffin before they can walk!"

Under normal circumstances, anyone would have been highly offended by the Reaper's comment. But these circumstances were far from normal, and Undertaker wasn't just 'anyone'. If anything, the man boweled over, laughing even harder until he was hacking for air.

"Oh my... That is a splendid idea, Mr. Slingby!" he chuckled, a dribble of drool falling from his mouth. "And to honor said notion, we shall name you official uncle and babysitter!"

"You know how highly unlikely it is, right?" Alan sighed, "And yes, I know he's insane…to the public."

Ron moaned out in pain, "S-Seb…"

"I wouldn' put past geezer 'ere... 'E'll probably stick ya with lady bits or what not... " the man grunted.

Alan narrowed his eyes, standing up to take the water to be dumped out.

"Ah~ You've gone and upset my cute little Alan…" Undertaker's voice cackled as his laughter smoothed out. The silver haired man rose to his feet, gliding over to gently wrap his arms around the brunet, running his hand down his front with a purr. Eric eyed them with a jealous glare - he had long since fallen in love with the younger Reaper. Yet, to his dismay, his affections were denied in favor for the Legendary Reaper himself, the latter of which had captured Alan's heart long ago.

Instead, he turned his attentions to Ronald, the boy shivering despite the fresh pajamas and warm blanket thrown upon his body.

Ronald shifted with a whimper, as if he was starting to have a nightmare.

Undertaker hummed, resting his chin atop Alan's head, "What will you tell Reaper Spears? Seems he's already quite angry with dearest idiot Knox."

Eric said nothing, only stared at the boy with a blank, indifferent look. He knew the danger the boy was in, messing with a beast, but then if he told Spears, it would spell trouble for the blond anyways. He had no other choice though.

Ron's body twitched in obvious pain, his lip trembling.

"Maybe if we tell him it was simply a demon attack?" Alan suggested, pulling away from Undertaker to finish cleaning the mess. "Gives you time to talk some sense into him."

"Perhaps... I dunno if it'll work though... Another slip up, an' head office has all our heads, not just his" Eric murmured.

He watched the blond twitch, frowning slightly. Reaching out, tentatively, he shook the boy's shoulder, nudging him awake, "Oi. Stop droolin' on m' leg!" were the first words from his mouth.

Ron's eyes flickered before closing again.

"What do you think the Highers will do to Ron if they find out the truth? He'd be labeled a traitor." Undertaker pointed out.

"If I lie to them, they will find out eventually an' then Ron would be in more trouble - I can' do nothin'!" Eric retorted.

"What if I give testimony?" the elder grinned, "Or did you forget who I am under these bangs?"

"An' old fart bangin' my ex-student?" Eric replied dryly.

"Eric!" Alan gasped, "Stop being jealous. It's not attractive."

Undertaker, however, roared with laughter.

"Your brother gives me the best of laughs, little flower!" he wheezed, wiping his eyes.

Eventually, the two wandered off further into the house, Undertaker guiding Alan by the hand, leaving Eric alone with the broken boy. Sitting in a chair beside the bed, he flipped through a book, engrossed in its details.

Finally, Ron's eyes opened, the first thing he saw was a blurr that was Eric's legs. "Hmm..?" he tried to move to feel around for his glasses, not knowing they still lay broken in his sitting room. The pain was quick to make him forget about it. "…Where..?"

"Yer awake" Eric noted, without glancing up from his book. "Need anythin'? Water? Though I dun recommend it, who knows wha' tha' geezer puts into it."

"…Eric-senpai..?" Ron blinked a few times before the man's words sank in, "Yes…please, water'd be nice…"

A sigh was sounded, the book set off to the side as the man got up to fetch the boy a glass of water. A couple minutes later, crashes were heard, a yell and loud shriek of "ERIC!" arose, the blond stumbling back in the room a moment later.

"'ere" he handed the boy a cup of water, flushing a shade of scarlet.

Ronald frowned, "…thanks." He struggled to sit up enough to take a sip of water, "Where are we…and what did you walk in on?" he asked, not even bothering to ask why he wasn't in his own apartment or why he had been moved.

"I... Nevermind" the man shook his head, sinking back into the old wooden chair. "Jus' drink yer damn water, kid."

Ron looked down and sipped the water. "…how much…do you know?" he asked slowly, afraid to look at Eric.

"About the fact tha' yer sleepin' 'round with a demon, an' one tha' is under watch at the momen'?" the man growled, narrowing his eyes sharply at the boy. "Wha' the 'ell were ya doin', boy?"

"…Please don't say anything…" he whispered.

"An' wha'? Get m'self and ya into more shit fer holdin' m' tongue?" his elder snapped, voice laced with irritation and fury. "I dunno wha' the 'ell ya were thinkin', Knox, but ya royally fucked up. Now tha' thin' probably gonna come after me aside from ya!"

"He's not like that! He loves me, Eric!" Ron insisted.

Eric swatted him upside the head. "Yer a fool..." he said after a moment. "Yer righ' damn fool, Knox!"

"Not all demons are evil, Senpai! He's not…he's just…stressed right now…"

Eric growled, resisting the urge to slap some sense into the boy. "Yer... an eejit. A righ', stupid, naïve little runt. Do ya honestly believe tha' monster is in love with ya? Tha' 'e cares?" He leaned in closer, sneering into the boy's face. "Well, 'ere a fuckin' newsflash fer ya, oy. 'E. Doesn'. Give. A. Shit! 'E doesn' love ya, 'e only wants wha' all o' them want - food. Yer soul, an' ya were stupid enough ta belive 'im when 'e went all kissy-face on ya! Yer a bleedin' git, Knox, I dunno how yer not dead yet."

"I'm not dead because he loves me!" Ron hissed before gasping in pain as he'd tried to move, "…Sebastian cares for me and takes care of me after a stressful day…He doesn't even have to! I'm not contracted to him! He's with me because he wants to be!"

"...I ain' gonna deal with this! Fine, if ya wanna go an' get yer fuckin' soul eatin', go ahead! Ya ain' m' problem kid!" the man snapped, rising from his seat, completely fed up with the conversation. "One las' thin', if 'e loves so much, why hurt ya? Tha' ain' love - tha's abuse, an' yer only foolin' yerself if ya think it's 'because 'e cares'!" He said the last bit with an exaggerated high pitched voice, mocking the blond in a sense.

"…it's my fault…I caused this…" Ron whispered, looking down at the bandages he was wrapped in. Sebastian hadn't wanted to hurt him…but he needed to learn his lesson…

Eric paused for a moment, glancing at the blond. "...It ain' yer doin', it's 'is" he said. "I know abuse - tha's it."

Ron didn't look up. No—he knew it was his fault—he'd made Sebastian disappointed in him.

Eric sighed and lumbered over to the bedside again, looking down at the blond. "I know ya feel like it's yer fault - but it ain', not all o' it. Bein' stupid with a beast, yes, but bein' hurt like tha', no."

"…I miss it…when he was gentle…before I started messing everything up…"

"There was never gentle - there never was a good time before, Ronald. Jus' 'is lurin' an' decievin'... Ya can't deny the truth." He moved towards the door again, frowning when a voice sounded from the front.

"Ah, Mister Spears! What an unpleasant surprise eheheheh!"

"Yes... As it may seem. I am looking for Mr. Knox? I must have a word with him regarding a certain... issue we have uncovered."

"Shit" was all Eric said.

"Well, saves me the trouble of sending a message~ He's here but I'm afraid he's not well. Horrible, horrible demon attack by the looks of it. I'd be amazed if he's awake even at this point." Undertaker's voice cackled.

"Demon attack... interesting. Because I happened to pay Knox's residence a visit about two hours ago, to drop off some reports the fool left unfinished, when I found traces of demon presence lingering about the house - not just visiting, but living there, it seems. An investigation team is currently overlooking the house, but I am afraid that the matter is much more serious - Mr. Knox has been put under watch and demotion."

"Living there?" Undertaker started to laugh, "Why on earth would one live in a reaper's home? No, no, ridiculous, Reaper Spears, simply ridiculous. Unheard of~"

"Ridiculous as it may seem, the Higher Council thinks otherwise" the man replied sternly. "His apartment was a complete disaster, rotting and in total disarray. It hasn't been properly looked over in months, perhaps years. And it stank of demon, both new scent... and old. All from the same one - I need not remind you that demons each carry a particular scent of their own - as to why, well, that is why I am here."

"Well, you may certainly ask the boy, but I'm not exaggerating on his condition." Undertaker rocked back on his heels and then back onto his toes playfully, "Looking at the kid there is no doubt he was attacked. As for his apartment, that's very curious~ the boy doesn't seem that incapable of taking care of himself. Maybe I'll have to happen by and join this little investigation~"

"That would be very helpful, thank you sir" William bowed respectfully. "Is Ronald here still?"

"Unless he sprouted wings and flew out the window!" he chuckled before sobering, "…It's going to be quite some time before he is well enough to simply walk his own way on out of any room. Reaper Slingby found the poor lad and brought him here for care. Have him in there." He gestured at a door. "If he's awake do try to be nice for once~"

"I see... I suppose I'll have a word with Slingby as well then, provided if he knews anything about the attack..." The man strode past, pushing up his glasses with the tip of his scythe. Reaching the door, he raised a fist to the old wood and knocked three times. "Mr. Slingby? Mr. Knox? May I enter?" There was a pause for a moment, before the door slowly opened with a creak. Standing by in the frame, Eric looked down at his boss, his expression rather tired and irritated.

"Knox is awake. Ya can go talk ta 'im, I'm goin' home." He shifted to move past the stoic man, only to have a hand snag him at the elbow.

"Slingby, you are to remain here. I have a few questions of my own for you. Resist, and I will give you more overtime than you already have."

Growling slightly, the man cursed, following the Supervisor back into the room where Ronald lay.

Ronald turned his head, seeming to sink into himself when he saw William. Now he was in even more trouble. William was already a man who was moody at best…

William strode briskly across the room, his posture stiff and expression taunt. Taking the seat Eric had abandoned - the man himself leaning against the window sill across the room, boredom written all over his face - Spears wasted no time in addressing the injured Reaper. "Mr. Knox" he began in a clipped tone. "You have been found guilty of violating #344 of the Reaper's Code of Conduct, in terms of fraternizing with the enemy and furthering this crime by engaging in relations and sexual activity. Is this not true? Do not lie - the consequences will be dire otherwise."

The speech was something old yet foreign; the traditional method of addressing a Reaper guilty of breaking the laws of the Realm, set forth by the High Council. If the crime was perceived as big enough, the persecuted could be charged in the court before the elders themselves. Lying was punishable by imprisonment or worse, if done so under interrogation of this kind.

"I—yes, sir…" He was a horrible liar and he knew it. So he didn't try to fight it as he wished he could simply disappear. He'd messed up again…seemed that was all he was capable of doing as of late…

William said nothing for a moment, though his eye twitched involuntarily. "Mr. Knox" he started again, his voice just an edge colder than what it once had been. "Do you realize the danger you have brought upon not only yourself but the Realm as well?"

Tears pricked at Ronald's eyes—not because of the 'dangers' he'd brought upon himself and the others of his kind, but for the realization on Sebastian's reaction to his getting caught would be… "Y-yes, sir…" he choked out.

"By order of the High Council..."

Eric glanced out the window, feigning ignoring, though ever single word from Spears fell upon his ears.

"Ronald Knox, you are hereby stripped of your ranking in the Dispatch as an officer, demoted and your scythe is to be confiscated. Further more-" His eyes twitched in irritation, catching sight of Slingby blowing absentmindedly at a spider trying to make a web in the corner of the window - the little bug seemed to rear up at the blond, waving its legs in a fury as it swung back and forth on a thread of silk. "You are placed under watch by the member of the Investigation Squad, and are called to court this upcoming Thursday for a trial before the High Council..."

"Ye-yes, sir…" Ron swallowed, not bothering to dry his cheeks. Being under watch like that…maybe it'd keep Sebastian away so he didn't have to see the distasteful look of disappointment on his lover's face for this…

"However...Since you are still scheduled for overtime, I cannot allow you go undergo house arrest - therefore, you will continue working unpaid until you have finished your time and then will be moved into one of the lower branches where sercurity can keep an eye on you... as such, while you are in office, you will have an officer at your elbow at all times. Am I clear?"

Ron gave a small, pained nod, "Yes, s-sir…I…I'm sorry, sir…"

William merely regarded him for a minute more before nodding, rising from his seat to face the blond staring out into the dusky streets of London. "Eric, may I have a word with you?" The other man made no movement to look at him, but acknowledged his boss with a small grunt. Tapping on the shoulder with his scythe, William narrowed his eyes as the blond yawned, pulling away from the window with a stretch.

"Oh? Done talking to Reaper Knox, are we? Good, good! I wanted to see if he could stomach a bite to eat." Undertaker smiled sweeping into the room.

But William was currently throwing his attention upon the Scotsman by the window.

"Wha'?"

"A word if you will, please" the onyx haired man hissed, his temper already on the rise. Rolling his eyes, Eric waited for the man to approach, never once moving from his spot. "You are the only person to come into contact with Mr. Knox during the time of the attack - do you have any idea on what exactly happened?"

Eric stared at him for a moment, debating on how to answer. He knew it was best to tell the full truth, but glancing over at the blond in the bed, he found himself slightly tongue tied. To say that he was spying underneath the window would only irk Spears into lecturing him on not taking action when he should have. Seeing the Undertaker flounce about, though he aimed a growl at the elder, made it even harder to speak - how lovely indeed.

"I though' Knox was attackin' weird, so I followed 'im home... The demon was already with 'im when I arrived, but 'e fled before I could catch 'im." It was not a complete lie, but it was enough to get William off his back for the moment.

"I see... In that case, seeing as you are the one who knows the most about their relationship, you shall be in charge of keeping an eye on Knox while he is in office."

Or not; Eric sputtered. "Wha'?! Ya can' be serious! I have enough work on m' own time, I dun need ta be babysittin' some moron!"

"Serious as ever, Slingby, and on that note, I also put you in charge of watching him during 'out of work activities'. Keep it up, and I'll have you changing his damn diapers - do I make myself clear on that?"

Eric snarled, though he knew there was no way out of his punishment, as this situation was now hereby dubbed. "Yes, sir" he grumbled, adding more quietly under his breath. "Ya pounce..."

"What was that?"

"Yes, boss."

"Good boy."

Undertaker watched William leave before walking over to Eric, shoving a bone cookie into his hand, "Cheer up, lad, it's not so bad." He smiled.

Eric grumbled, breaking the cookie in half, reluctantly shoving one end into his mouth. "Fer ya, maybe... ya dun have m' workload at the momen'..." He gave a pointed glance towards Ronald. "But it can't be helped... I jus' hope this is the last o' the problem..."

"It's not." Undertaker smiled, "There is more to this than meets the eye. This goes much deeper, and something tells me that this wasn't a choice Knox made… He'll need some help pulling himself out of this mess."

Eric grunted, a sound signifying neither agreement or disagreement. Strolling past, he paused by the bedside to give one last once over to the boy.

Ron looked up at Eric with an apologetic frown, but said nothing.

"You taking him home with you, then? Can't take him to work when he can barely move, after all." Undertaker asked, "He can't stay here…not my job~"

"Wait... Shit, I gotta..." Snarling, he slammed a fist into the wall, now fully understanding his predicament. "DAMMIT, SPEARS!"

Undertaker giggled and pat Eric on the head like an overgrown cat, "Well he can't go back to his home. From the sounds of it the place seems it'd be horrible for his health which is already lacking. His immune system has been dangerously compromised."

Eric raised an eyebrow, glancing at the elder. "Whaddya mean?"

"I've been around a long time, Slingby, as you very much enjoy pointing out when you get fed up with me~" he tilted his head, his fringe falling out of his face and showing off one eye, "I've seen this all before. You may want to take him to the infirmary to get a _full_ diagnostics check on his health. Have him tested physically, mentally, and for any substances in his bloodstream…such as perhaps, demonic poisons."

Eric went still for a moment, the words sinking in. "Shit..."

"The Highers forget that demons have ways to gain power over reapers. All of them are too young. They didn't live when demons ran free in the Mortal realm as if it was a second Hellish homeland known as the dark ages. And they won't listen to old reapers like me on such matters…thinks we have all lived too long and have lost our minds~ Well, maybe I have, but not in the way they think."

Eric said nothing more, returning his gaze to the boy. With a sigh, he straightened himself out, motioning to Ronald, turning his back to him. "C'mon, kid... Gotta take ya home..."

"Ta-ta~ Have fun you two, and try not to fight~" Undertaker teased as Eric lifted Ronald into his arms and Ron whimpered in pain as he slipped his arms around Eric's neck to try and help support his weight.

"Oh, go screw yerself!" the Scotsman growled, shifting the blond's weight in his arms for a moment. "An' do me a favor, dun pass on any of yer STDs ta Alan when ya go a' it, will ya?" Loud cackling laughter was all that answered him.


	4. Stuck Together

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 4**

Ronald shivered as he lay on an examination table at the hospital. Eric had heeded Undertaker's advice and taken the boy there for testing. The doctors had taken him back right away and drew as much blood as they felt was safe for various tests before examining his physical state, and sending in a psychologist to assess his mental state. It had become apparent very quickly that something was wrong with Ronald mentally, but whether it was a chemical imbalance or a mental abuse, illness or madness, they had yet to see. So, they put Eric down as Ronald's 'legal guardian' after they found out that the young reaper had been placed in his custody until further notice.

This allowed Eric the ability to be in the room when the doctors were explaining Ronald's medical conditions—and it was preferred that he was as they didn't trust Ronald's mental state.

The young blond was alone in the room, apart from the rather bored looking Scotsman who was sitting on a stool by the window. They had been waiting the better part of the early afternoon, and neither had been willing to start a conversation with the other.

Finally, the door opened and the Doctor heading Ronald's medical case stepped in with a clipboard thick with papers. "Sorry for the wait, Mister Slingby—Mister Knox." He nodded as he shut the door and took a seat on his own stool with wheels by the sink.

Eric raised an eyebrow at the amount of papers attached to the clipboard. "I hope I ain' supposed ta read all tha'... paperwork is enough fer me."

"No, no. this is mostly the test results from his blood-work. One of which has us overly worried but we'll need to rerun that test in more detail later—say a few weeks so you'd have to bring him back. We can't take anymore blood from him without hurting his health further. So I'll skip over that for now…" he crossed his ankle over his knee as he flipped through the files. "I'll start with his physical health. Apart from the obvious injuries, his immune system has been severely compromised. His body can not keep up on healing his injuries let alone fight off any bacteria that may find it's way in. He's actually a very sick young man, and it's not an over-night thing. Some of his physical injuries date back a few months. This means his immune system has been on the decline for at least a year and a half. And no, it's not natural."

The doctor sighed and flipped through a few more pages, "Blood tests have shown an abnormally high amounts of foreign substances that have been poisoning him for, our professional guess is, two years. Substances being ingested, absorbed, and injected directly into his body. It's all contributed to his failing immune system. As well as…" he glanced at Ronald and lowered his voice a bit, "There are a few minute traces of a demonic taint that some types of demons have. It holds a compound that reacts with the brain in a form of mind control. It makes the infected believe something that the demon wants the victim to believe. It's used to gain trust of whichever sort that demon wishes."

Moving on, back at a normal volume, not yet giving Eric a chance to respond, the doctor flipped passed a thick section of files, "Mentally, he's showing all the textbook signs of mental abuse. Mostly common in those involved in an abusive relationship. He wouldn't talk much about specific things, but if he was in a…well, what he would see as a 'romantic' relationship with whatever demon he's been dealing with, he'd defend this demon to his last breath, most likely. He turns a blind eye to things involving the demon…has he said anything to you that would hint at such things? It would confirm our psychologist's theory on his mental state."

Eric frowned at the doctor's news, the gesture deepening upon his face the more things were said. Demonic taint? That was never a good thing - aside from working at the Dispatch, he taught a few classes at the academy for extra money, even substituted for some. As such, one particular class he had to watch for a day had been dealing with the subjects of demons.

Sitting up at the front, eyeing the students before him, he remembered hearing a couple of points on the activities of beasts and how powerful their poison could be - particularly with- No, stop. He shouldn't get ahead of himself; it absolutely would not resolve to that, if anything else. Ronald was just very, very ill, as he could gather just from looking at the blond lying shivering upon the table.

Glancing back at the doctor, he cursed under his breath. "Yeah... 'e was outrigh' defendin' the thin', even after I tried ta knock some sense into 'im... Felt like it was 'is fault."

He nodded, "He'll continue to think that way for quite a while—especially if the demon makes more appearances to him. It'd just continue to poison his mind until Knox is…well…broken completely. Lost himself completely. It seems it's already happening. He seems to think he needs that demon to take care of him. His sense of independence is all but crushed." He sighed, "I'll be submitting copies of these test results to the courts as I understand he'll be going on trial for treason. These tests will be enough to save him from death or jail time at the very least."

Eric all but slumped back in his chair, feeling suddenly weary. Rubbing his eyes underneath his tinted glasses, he groaned in dismay. "So whaddya wan' me ta do?"

"Right now, he needs to be kept away from that demon at all costs. And he needs someone to be there for him, to support him, to get him through this. He needs someone to help him understand the truth, even though the demonic taint and his mental state is working against you. He needs someone—who won't give up on him."

Eric already had a nagging feeling from all this. "An' ya want me ta be this support beam?"

"He's in your custody." He nodded, "So unless there is anyone else you can trust who is close to him…who else does he have? He's seen as a traitor right now. You can't have just anyone come in—they could hurt him more."

"There's Alan... an' tha' old geezer..."

"I can't tell you if that's a good idea or not. I'm not close to Knox. I just ask you choose what's best for him…not what's easiest for you."

Eric opened his mouth to protest, then closed it abruptly. Growling, he stood, popping his back. "... I'm only doin' this cause Spears asked me ta..." And yet, part of him felt a smidge of pity when he looked at the boy he was in charge of - despite his anger at the moment, there was sympathy towards the boy's circumstances. Ronald had been his friend once. Moving towards the table, he prodded the boy in the shoulder. "Oi... Sit up, we're leavin'... 'S dark enough outside, I wanna get home an' sleep, kid."

Ronald struggled to get up, "…he'll be angry if I don't go home…" he muttered in a low voice, "…He's probably worried about me…"

Eric rolled his eyes, taking the blond into his arms again. "Yeah, an' Spears' pole dances 'n public..." he muttered, wrapping an offered blanket around the boy's form, swaddling him like a baby. "Ya ain' goin' back kid... 'S over, done. Yer house is fucked an' so is tha' beast. We're goin' home."

"Oh, one more thing, Slingby…" The doctor stuck his head in the doorway, "He may go through withdrawal from the poisons that has been being forced into his system. So don't be alarmed if he starts having uncontrollable shaking in the next few weeks while his body gets used to them no longer going into his body. But it'll take longer for his body to clean itself out. Keep bringing him back for tests on his progress."

"…I'm fine…" Ron muttered, resting his head on Eric's shoulder.

"Got it" the man grunted, carrying the blond towards the door. "So when do ya wan' me back in 'ere?"

"A week, maybe two if you don't think he could handle another blood test at that time."

"I'll see how 'e is" the man said over his shoulder, tromping down the hall to the waiting room.

-x-

A storm blew over London that night, rattling windows and shaking houses with loud booms of thunder. Lying in bed, Eric stared out the window, watching the rain patter against the glass.

Ronald was curled up on the couch, though unable to sleep. All he could think about was Sebastian and how disappointed he'd be in him for not going home…but late was better than not at all…wasn't it? With a moan, the young blond weakly sat himself up, gasping in pain as thunder rumbled outside. Why wouldn't his body move normally without such pain? Getting to his feet without support proved impossible, and he found himself on the floor in pain, facing the wide picture window that let in the light from the lightning into the sitting room. How pathetic—he couldn't even get up on his own…

Hearing a thud from the living room, Eric groaning, heaving himself up from the bed. Trudging out into the hall, he rubbed at his eyes, blurry without his glasses. "Kid? Tha' you?"

Ron didn't move, rubbing his head gingerly. His heavily bagged eyes drooping in need of sleep he was denying himself, "…I'm sorry…did I wake you..?"

Yawning, Eric shook his head, moving to grab the blond by the back of the shirt. "Nah, I couldn' sleep... Damn storm... Whaddya doin' on the floor?"

Ronald sighed and looked down, "…I tried to stand up…"

A growl sounded. "Fer fuck sakes... Again?! I swear to Rhea, Ron, I will duct tape ya ta the couch if I have ta!"

"You don't understand! S-Seb…he'll…he'll only grow more upset if I don't go see him!"

"Ah, fer-! Do I have ta smack ya again ta get it through yer thick skull?! Sebastian - whatever 'e's called - doesn' give a shit 'bout ya!"

"If he didn't care about me, why would he come to see me every night?" Ronald snapped.

"Because 'e jus' wanted ya fer yer damn soul, ya eejit!"

"If he wanted my soul he could have taken it many times by now!" Ron snapped, "I'm not contracted to him! And don't call me an eejit! You are just all butt-hurt because Alan chose the old geezer over you, and now you can't even have anything more than a one-night-stand with some bimbo you meet on the streets!"

The loud crack that followed almost mirrored the boom of the thunder outside. Standing over the shaking blond, Eric snarl, his contorted into one of pure rage. His hand held high, all he could see was the satisfying bruise spreading across the boy's cheek. "DUN'," he spat. "YA EVER MOUTH OFF LIKE THA' AGAIN, YA LITTLE SHIT! I COULD LEAVE YA OUT THERE TA DIE IF I WANTED! I DUN HAVE TA PUT UP WITH THIS AN' YER ELUSIVE BULLSHIT; SHUT YER DAMN MOUTH!"

Ronald sat frozen on the floor, his eyes wide and swimming in tears that sprang up, head turned away, and neck hurting from the force his head was forced to the side. Slowly, he raised a shaking hand to his cheek.

Eric panted, his chest heaving, face tinted red and eyes wild. Turning on his heel, he stomped back into his bedroom, fumbling through the drawers of his nightstand for a moment before pulling out a pair of metal handcuffs he used for more rough nights with those he brought home. Storming back to the living room, he approached the blond with a frightening aura, taking his wrist and snapping one end of the handcuffs around them. "There!" he snarled, snapping the other end around his own wrist. "Ya wanna try runnin' off now, ya little punk? Got news fer ya - say goodbye ta yer beast, cause ya ain' seein' 'im again. 'E comes near ya, 'e meets the blade o' m' scythe!"

Ronald didn't respond. The strike across his cheek all too effective in getting him to shut up. Though he did shoot a glare at the older reaper. The man's attempt was overkill. Ronald already had proved to be too weak to get anywhere with his broken bones and battered body. He was stuck there.

For a couple more moments, they sat in silence, neither one looking at the other. Finally, Eric sighed, having calmed slightly, moving to get up.

Ron's arm, being cuffed to Eric's jerked up when the taller man moved, catching his attention, and he glanced up at him.

Eric paused, frowning as he suddenly released their predicament. As much as he wanted to separate the cuff connecting him to the blond; he'd lost the key ages ago during his last fling with them. "Shit!"

"…What..?" Ronald asked in a low, submissive voice.

"... Fuck it." It was late, he was exhausted, he had an early morning shift, and he just did not care anymore. Not even bothering to be gentle, he scooped the blond up, carrying down the hall to his bedroom.

Ronald flinched in pain, but again, said nothing. After all…if his lover could treat him as roughly as he did because of his mistakes, then why shouldn't anyone else?

Kicking the door open, Eric stumbled over to the bed, shifting the boy in his arms. Yet, as he sat down upon the mattress, his hold became more careful, almost gentle. Slowly, he set the boy down on the opposite side, against the wall.

Ronald curled up and lay still, wearing the too-large pajamas Eric had lent him. After a long moment of silence, he parted his lips and closed his eyes, "…I'm sorry…I know you don't even want to be stuck with me…"

Eric said nothing, taking hold of the cover and gently pulling them up to the blond's chin, tucking him in.

-x-

The morning light shown through the window, lighting up the small bedroom. The rays of light catching the drops of rain water falling from the leaves outside the window.

It had taken Ronald hours to finally fall asleep through the pain his body was in, despite the pain killers the doctor had given him before he and Eric left the hospital. He shifted and turned his head, his cheek resting on Eric's shoulder, their noses touching unknowingly.

Eric groaned softly, his face contorting against the light. His eyes fluttered opened - only to find himself face to face with Ronald. He froze, paling over.

Ronald let out a small sigh his less-bruised cheek snuggling into Eric's shoulder, his hand that remained cuffed to Eric's resting gently on the older reaper's hip.

Eric blinked, his mind unable to process the current event, choosing to simply lie still and wait for the blond to awaken. In his defense, it was seven in the morning, and he was far from being fully awake.

Without warning, the boy's gentle face screwed up and a whimper pushed passed his lips, "No…please! Not again! Please!" he began to plead in his sleep as his dream turned nightmarish.

Eric started, reaching out to shake the boy's shoulder. "Ronald!" he said. "Oi, wake up!"

Ron's blood-shot eyes snapped open, a pained cry escaping; "PLEASE!" The blond blinked, breathing hard as his dream faded and Eric's room came into a blurred focus around him.

Sea green walls and polished oak flooring, the latter of which was cluttered with shed clothes and books; a small shelf crammed to the brim with novels and documents sitting up against the wall; a nightstand with a simple gas lamp, a bowl of apples sitting on the surface. The bed in which he lay was a double, the comforter soft and fluffy, white as snow. Beside him, the broad form of Eric Slingby, his head turned to face him, expression dull and out of it from sleep.

"Er-Eric..?" Ronald sounded dumfounded, his sleepy mind wondering why Eric was with him, and not Sebastian… he looked around, the events of the day before sinking back into thought. "O-oh…right…"

"G'mornin' ta you too..." Eric said dryly. "Mind me askin' why yer usin' me as a pillow?"

Ronald blushed and moved over with a grunt of pain, "…You're the one that brought me into your bed…"

"Cause I had no choice..." The man groaned, rubbing his face with a free hand. "Scythe, dun argue with me now... 'S too early fer this shit..."

"I wasn't trying to—it's a fact!"

"Jus' shut up..." the blond grumbled, sitting up. Running a hand through his hand, he cursed at the realization that he had a shift to attend to in about an hour and a half. "Get up. I need ta shower."

"Why don't you just uncuff us? I aint gonna hop in the shower with you!"

"Ya ain' got a choice - I dun have the key..."

"Whaa—! Why the Hell did you use this thing then? Not like I coulda actually walked out on you anyway! I crumpled to the floor—remember? Forget it. I aint doing it!"

"Well, I hope ya like tastin' floorboard, because I am still takin' m' damn shower! So we do this the easy way... or the pain in the ass one, and quite frankly, I do not care at this point. Yer choice - not like I'm enjoyin' this either."

"Just summon your scythe and cut the thing in half or something!"

"I would, if this thing wasn' made of the same shit scythe's are!"

"What the hell kind of handcuffs—no, I don't want t know. You're just an idiot."

"Says the fucker who decided it'd be smart ta fall in love with a beast."

Ron grit his teeth and delivered a swift kick to Eric's leg under the covers, "At least he loves me back!"

"Yeah, an' pigs fly! Why dun ya do yerself a fuckin' favor an' find someone who actually loves ya!" Eric snorted, returning the kick with much more force.

"Yeah, why don't you go find someone who _can_ love you and stop chasing after someone who obviously doesn't want to be in a relationship with you?" Ronald snapped back.

Eric turned his head sharply towards the blond, his expression one of anger.

The younger blond held a serious look as he made a blunt next statement; "…Alan-senpai doesn't love you like that. But that's no excuse to say that Sebastian doesn't love me just because you can't handle that a demon could find love before you."

"SHUT UP!" He didn't slap Ronald, never laid a single hand on him this time around; but he sat rigid, shaking, his eyes wild and face tinted red again.

"I'm just voicing what you already know…"

The next moment, Eric was straight in Ronald's face, pulling the boy close by the collar. "No listen 'ere... Yer 'bout two seconds from me callin' Spears... I suggest ya keep yer mouth shut if ya wanna keep yer head atop yer shoulders!"

"Right, as if my life isn't already fucked up. It's not my fault you're stuck with me! not like I want to be here! We both have no choice!"

Eric merely glared at him, before letting go of the shirt, swinging his body around and his legs over the side of the bed. Standing, completely ignoring the blond, the Scotsman began to walk towards the door, his strong arm tugging at the cuff.

With a yelp, Ronald was pitched forward, legs unable to catch and support him before he found himself on the floor, being dragged along behind the older man.

Eric paid him no attention, moving out into the hall, aiming for the bathroom.

"E-Eric! Stop! It hurts—ack!" Ron gasped as his broken arm was slammed into the bedroom doorframe.

Eric paused for a mere moment, but did not look at the blond. For a moment, his body seemed to tremble, a soft sound exhaling from his mouth.

Ronald trembled on the floor, "…Please…" he said, his tone holding a hint of that same fear his voice had held when he'd been dreaming.

Eric's breathing was unsteady, as he slowly coaxed himself to relax, to calm down.

"…I'm sorry, alright? I…I shouldn't have said those things…but…please…everything hurts…"

He said nothing for a moment, then turned. His face was once again composed, but his eyes were glassy. Slowly moving over to the boy lying on the floor, he knelt down, gently scooping him up into his arms.

Ron kept his eyes lowered and his mouth shut after that. There was really no point in resisting—even if Eric had been an idiot with using the stupid handcuffs the way he did.

Eric almost staggered into the bathroom, never once saying a word to the blond. Yet the moment he entered, he was whacked in the face by a piece of parchment - a small grey pigeon, a letter tied to its leg, flew haphazardly around the room, cooing ecstatically. Flapping down onto the counter, it held out its leg to the blond. Reaching out with a raised eyebrow, he untied the roll of parchment, holding it open with one hand to read.

'_Slingby, As per the doctor's orders in concern for Knox, I have taken measure to ensure that your shift has been change for this afternoon. Sutcliff will be taking your shift this morning instead. Be in office by 15:00 PM. Spears._'

"…Don't tell me that's more overtime…" Ron muttered.

He merely shook his head, throwing the note aside, moving towards the tub sitting by the wall. Originally, a shower had been ideal, but seeing as he had more time on his hands, he decided he would rather a bath. He was just so damn exhausted...

Ron bit his lip, "…Eric…how are you planning to remove your shirt or put a fresh one on..?"

Eric froze. "Fuck..."

Ron looked back down after that observation. There was a tearing sound, as Eric pulled the shirt from his body, and Ronald looked up, eyes widening at the sight of Eric ripping his shirt off.

Tossing the shirt aside, Eric growled, sounding very much like a lion, ruffling his mused hair. Glancing down at the blond, he studied him for a moment.

"…What?" Ron whispered.

Taking a hold of the blond's shirt, he tore it off, minding the blond's injuries.

A startled look crossed his face, but the shirt was Erics. But then again, why did he need to remove his clothes? He had no intention of showering with the older blond.

"Yer a mess" Eric stated, almost as if to answer the blond's unspoken question. "If I let ya walk 'round dirty an' get infected, I'll be in fer a load o' shit..." He turned on the faucet of the tub, feeling the water as it started to run, filling up the tub. Setting the blond on the ground, he stood, unzipping his pants in front of the toilet.

Ron's eyes widened before snapping shut, "Geeze, warn a guy next time!" he paused, "…If ya piss on my hand I'll piss on you."

"I ain' gonna piss on ya, dun be stupid. An' ya've seen me naked before, I dunno why it's such a big deal." the man grumbled, sighing as he relieved himself.

"Walking in on you naked is not the same as you stripping down with me handcuffed to you!" Ron insisted.

"Whatever."

"Hey—I normally sleep naked but I didn't because I was trying to be decent and respect your comfort!"

"So do I, an' I'm not afraid ta parade around m' house like it either."

"It's rude to strut around like that when you have company!"

"I dun when people are 'ere - which is either never 'r a date, an' tha' ends with me being bare ass nude anyways." Eric stated.

"In the dark I would hope…" he muttered, trying not to catch himself staring at Eric's toned abs.

"Light actually... ladies and gents love this body~" The man couldn't help but boast and gloat, his pride high strung and strong.

"Especially when drunk…"

"And sober."

"Or you're just easy…"

"Harder than a rock!" By this point, the tub was filled halfway with water. Eric shut off the tap, testing the bath's temperature before stripping of his pants and undergarments.

Ron kept his gaze adverted, "…Right…"

Eric glanced at him for a moment, before moving to strip the blond of his own pants.

"Wh-Whoa, wait!" Ronald gasped, grabbing Eric's wrist to stop him, "What are you doing?"

"Yer not bathin' with yer pants on!" the man snapped. "An' I'd rather not rip anymore o' m' close... Doctor's note said ya had ta be cleaned!"

"I aint bathing _with_ you! I'm a person, not a pet! I can wash myself!"

"I'd like ta see ya try! Ya can't walk on yer own, wha' makes ya think yer well enough ta do this? An' besides, I need ta bathe too, an' I ain' wastin' water!" Removing the blond's pants successfully, the older man picked him up once again, stepping into the tub with him.

How hard is it to sit in a tub of wat—eha! Watch where you poke that thing! Why the fuck is it hard?"

"Shaddup, it happens 'n the mornin'!" Eric growled, having sat the boy in front of him, resting his back against his chest. Grabbing a pitcher on the side of the tub, he dipped into the water, filling it up before bringing it over their heads, dosing them.

"It's had time to get soft!" Ron argued, stiffening when the water was dumped over his head.

Setting the pitcher aside, Eric grabbed a bottle of shampoo sitting off to the side, pouring a small amount into his hand. "Close yer eyes" he said.

"…you're not my dad…" he muttered, closing his eyes.

Yet, as he gently worked up a lather, his hand couldn't have been gentler as he gignerly massaged Ronald's scalp.

Ron sat awkwardly between Eric's legs, his hand in the air because of the handcuffs. Where had he gone so wrong? Why had his reaper life lead him here?

Eric said nothing as he worked the shampoo through Ronald's hair, fingers tangling in the golden locks, stroking them in an almost soothing fashion.

"…You'll put me to sleep like that, Senpai…" Ron finally spoke up after a moment.

Eric paid him no attention, wrapped up in his own train of thought, not even noticing when his fingers slipped, gently stroking the side of Ronald's cheek.

The touch, while gentle, was on Ron's more bruised cheek that Eric had hit the night before, and Ronald gasped, jerking away from the touch.

Eric jerked his hand away, blinking, his eyes trailing down to the injury, a grimace forming on his face. He hadn't hit that hard, had he?

Ronald looked up at him, "…Sorry…"

Eric frowned for a moment, his mind contemplating the situation. A new sense of curiosity filled him, his other hand trailing down the opposite side of Ronald's face, cupping his cheek. His thumb caressed the delicate skin, expression one of thought.

Ronald froze. How long had it been since he had felt a gentle touch? A caring touch? He couldn't remember and he found himself leaning into Eric's hand.

Eric continued to stroke Ronald's face, observing his reactions, the curiosity inside of him growing. His other hand gently reached up again, massaging the boy's head.

The younger blond closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the sensation. It was innocent enough, but he knew Sebastian wouldn't approve…he had rules…but then again…how would Sebastian know that he let Eric be gentle with him? It's not like they were kissing or making out…or even having sex… Ron bit his lip and gingerly curled his fingers around Eric's wrist on their cuffed hands.

Eric paused for a moment, glancing down at the blond.

"…I miss it when he used to be as gentle…" Ronald whispered to himself.

The blond man repressed a growl, frustrated with the constant drawbacks to that damn beast. Instead, he combed his fingers through Ronald's hair, hoping to lull him into relaxing - or at least a similar state for some peace and quiet.

The younger reaper shivered suddenly, a small sob cracking his voice, "Why isn't he gentle anymore? I…I try so hard to please him…to be a good boyfriend, but…I'm always making mistakes..!" he slumped over against Eric's chest, starting to voice what he'd hidden away in his mind for so long.

The Scotsman jumped slightly, staring down at the boy in surprise and bewilderment. Yet, he did not shove him off, recognizing the opportunity to get the blond to open himself up. Perhaps this could be the key to figuring out what was wrong. He awkwardly reached around, patting Ronald's back carefully, rubbing it in slow, small circles.

Ronald began to relax, "…Senpai…what's wrong with me? What am I doing wrong? He won't tell me…"

"... Yer trustin' 'im. Tha's wha's wrong. Yer believin' tha' wha' 'e says an' does is righ', an' tha' yer doin' somethin' wrong. It ain' ya, it's 'im..." He began kneading against the many knots in Ronald's back - it was almost shocking to feel so many.

"…But…I love him…" he said, groaning as a knot was worked out of his shoulders.

"...Sometimes love ain' reciprocated..." His own voice lowered a tad, reminded of his own fruitless situation. A love for someone that would never be returned, lost forever in his heart of foolish infatuation.

"But he loved me…I promise he did…"

"Not every promise is true... there's more liars than there are honest people."

"But…he…" Ronald looked down into the water, "…I need a scotch…"

"I got tha'... There's a pub by m' house..." Eric didn't live in a flat like most of the other Reapers. His home was a small country cottage just outside of London, away from the city; in his early years as a Reaper, he had once taken up residence in the capital, but overtime managed to save up for something a little bigger. The place had two floors, built on a hillside - the upper floor consisted of the front entrance, living room, bathroom and bedroom plus an extra room that he used to for storage. The downstairs consisted of the small kitchenette and sun porch, leading out in the backyard; outside was a vast span of fields and woodland, a small pond off to the side of the house.

"Can we go..? My life's already practically ended, anyway…"

"After the bath, yeah... I need a good drink ta get me goin'..." He grabbed the shampoo bottle again, squirting some liquid into the palm of his hand before lathering it into his hair.

"Not too much…you have work still, right?"

"I dun overdrink tha' much... Jus' when I need an escape from shit."

"Don't try to pull that! We used to go out drinking together all the time! I know how you drink and how you get drunk!"

"I mean, I dun drink like I used ta - I drink more now, jus' in smaller dose... more frequently. Whenever I have time 'r if I feel like it" Eric shook his hair, frowning as he fingered one of the locks - blond. The dye was coming out of his braids.

"…I've been drinking…I just can't remember how much or how often…" Ron admitted, "Usually at home, though…he likes me going strait home after work…"

Eric nodded. "So 'e can have at ya righ' away..." He reached for the pitcher. The sound of hoof beats floated in through the small bathroom window.

"…Why is it so hard for you to admit he may not be the monster you think he is?" Ron asked, leaning over as his hand went with Eric's to grab the pitcher.

"Because it ain' jus' me sayin' it kid, everyone else is... Al, the old geezer, Spears... It ain' ta break ya, it's fer yer safety... Look a' yerself. Yer dying - we can' have ya dying like this..." He touched Ronald's arms in a comforting manner. "I may be hot tempered an' in a bad spot a' the moment m'self, but I was put in charge o' ya - I gotta look out fer yer safety first."

Ronald bit his lip, "…I'm just a little battered…and haven't been sleeping well…nothing life-threatening…"

"Ron, look a' me. I ain' kiddin', yer slowly dyin' if ya keep this up. Doctor's already been sayin' it... ya might be poisoned..."

"How? How could I be?"

"How else? Stop denyin' the truth when it's righ' in front o' yer face, Ron!" He rinsed their hair, gently kneading the knots in Ronald's back again to soothe him.

"But why would he? I just don't understand—and don't say he wants my soul! That's not it, okay?"

"I dunno... But it ain' good, 's all we know." Pulling the plug, he waited for the water to drain before stepping out, holding the blond once again in his arms.

"..Maybe if you'd let me go see him…maybe then you can see he really loves me.?"

"Nice try, not happenin'." He paused, grinning as something trotted up to a nearby window. "'Ey, there... G'mornin' ta ya!"

"Come on! He's not the monster you thin—is that a horse?"

A beautiful brown-and-white paint horse, pale, mane groomed and well kept, whinnied from the window, thrusting her nose into Eric's palm.

"When did you get a horse?"

"A while ago - I found 'er wanderin' injured 'round a field, injured an' ill - probably got mauled by another animal 'r something. Wasn' too far from m' house, so I kinda lured 'er back... took care o' 'er injuries. She hasn't left me since. I keep 'er at a stable down the road... she likes ta run wild though." He patted the mustang on the muzzle, the mare nuzzling his hand affectionately before sniffing the other blond in her master's arms.

Ronald would have pet her, but one arm was broken, and the other was handcuffed to the arm Eric was using to hold him up. So he just smiled awkwardly at her.

Eric smiled, rubbing her neck as she butted her Ronald's cheek. An idea occurred to him. "Kid, I'm riding to work."

"…What?" The younger reaper looked up at Eric, "You mean…you're riding her to work? Why?"

"I feel like it."

"Did you forget I'm stuck to you—literally?"

"Nope." If there was ever a more cunning grin of Eric's face, it was now.

"Then do you have a plan to separate us?"

"Not a' all... Yer comin' with me, kiddo!" he pulled away from the horse.

"Do you realize how awkward it'll be riding on a horse through London while we are handcuffed together?"

"Not if I tell people we're related."

"We look nothing alike! And your from Scotland, I'm an Englishman! Well…half…mum was Italian…but still! Our accents. Plus there's the whole issue of the handcuffs! How'll you explain that? That we are both wanted fugitives?"

"Yer father is also m' father, ya have issues, an' I'm the only livin' relative ya have left ta take care o' ya... tha' 'r were bound together fer safety.:

"…this aint safe." Ron muttered.

"I dun give a shit" the man strode into the bedroom, moving to rummage through a dresser at the end of his bed. "Reaper's a good horse - she's safe ta ride."

"That's not the issue here!" Ron looked away, "…How am I supposed to stay on a horse when I can't even walk?"

Eric glanced at him, a smirk on his face.

"…What? And another thing! What am I supposed to wear? I have no clothes here since you took me from my apartment—nude!"

"Then I guess yer ridin' bare naked too!" Eric sniggered, enjoying the moment while it lasted, pulling out a pair of trousers, not even bothering with a shirt. He'd get in trouble, but there wasn't anything he could do until the handcuffs came off. Not that he was bad looking; his body was well built, sculpted muscle and broad structure. Scars covered his back, chest and arms, evidence of many years fighting demons in the field. On right arm, however, lay a vine-like wrapping of a tattoo, Celtic symbols and words making up an elaborate design. A lion in green rested on his left pectoral, almost paralleling a similar design on his back.

"Forget it. I'm not going naked and I don't care f you end up skipping work because of it!"

"Ah, shaddup, I was bein' sarcastic! Now... wha' ta give ya... AH!"

"If you have any old cloths from when you were smaller that'd be great…Alan-senpai mentioned you used to be smaller…"

Eric made a face. "When the hell did 'e tell ya tha'? An' how much smaller are we talkin'?"

"Hey he just said you let him borrow some of your old clothes and they fit him without being too big—and I'm about his size so it'd be the same for me, right?" he turned away, "…He told me back when I was fresh out of the academy…I mentioned how huge a guy you were…"

Eric snorted. "I was a teen when I was reborn, 'bout thirteen, fourteen? I dun remember. But I put those clothes away a while ago... they'd be buried in m' closet somewhere... Anyways, I got ya something decent..." Without warning, he grabbed the blond, tying a strip of cloth around his eyes, blindfolding him.

"We have time to—hey!" The younger blond tried to avoid the blindfold but his body's condition hindered it, "…The hell?"

Eric grinned, pulling out a small, knee length fairy gown he'd once gotten as a joke gift during the holidays. It was originally for Alan, but the packaging got mixed up, so he ended up with it instead. It was irritating, and there was no way he'd even think about wearing it himself. But, it made for perfect blackmail.

Ronald sat where Eric had set him down, an unamused look on his blindfolded face. The look only grew more distasteful as the cloth brushed against his fingers, "…is that lace?"

"Perhaps... 's an older piece I have" Eric resisted the temptation to laugh. He pulled the dress up, tying the straps over Ronald's shoulders before picking him up. Finding his shoes, he slipped them on, a big grin on his face.

Ronald sat frozen He couldn't see, but it felt like—"Awe hell no!" Yanking their handcuffed wrists, Ronald grabbed the blindfold and looked down at himself—or what he could see without any glasses as his were still broken in his apartment. "You have got to be kidding!"

Eric merely laughed, the sound booming across the empty space of the house. Opening the front door, he was greeted with a neigh and a snort from Reaper, the horse practically bouncing with excitement. "Easy, lass" he chuckled, patting the animal's side. "Dun upset yer foal."

"I'm not going out like this." Ron said, doing his best to cross his arms over his chest.

"Too damn bad" the Scotsman chuckled, heading towards a shed by the side of his house. Reaper trotted after him, curious about the new boy.

"F-fuck it's cold without pants! Eric-senpai!" Ron continued to whine, knowing how helpless he was in his current situation.

Reaper sniffed him, gently nuzzling the side of his face; a foal perhaps? He was smaller than Eric, like the size of the other brown haired man she once saw around, but he seemed younger.

"Please, Senpai! We have time to look in your closet—don't make me go out like this!"

"Sorry kid, 's all I have at the moment!" Eric pulled out a blanket, deciding it would be better than a saddle, alongside a brush. Moving back to his horse, he carefully began running the brush over her soft fur, murmuring soothing words. "Yer gettin' a little too big fer yer saddle, sweetie" he chuckled, even as the horse flattened her ears and nipped at him, offended. "'Ey! 'S a general fact, love. 'S what happens when ya sleep 'round with stallions - ya take after me, yes ya do~" She snorted, turning her head away stubbornly.

Ronald started laughing, "Great, now I have the image of you being all fat with child because you sleep around so much! Ow-ow…hurts…" he couldn't stop laughing, though.

Eric made a face. "No thanks, not fer me. I ain' so great with kids - thanks, git, ya gave a me a very nice mental image o' m'self..." His expression was one of horror.

Ronald only laughed harder, gasping for his breath.

"... I'm gettin' m'self checked out.."

"…For real? You realize it's nearly impossible, right? First off you would have had to bottom…"

Eric adverted his eyes.

Ron softened to a fit of giggles, "…Sweet mother Rhea…you have…haven't you? I can't even imagine you bottoming out!"

Eric's face went red. "Shaddup! It was dark, I was very drunk... in some alleyway... 'bout a month ago..." He paled the next moment. "SHIT!" Reaper whinnied, almost laughing herself.

"Relax. The odds are very strongly suggesting you aren't. If I remember correctly the last reaper to get pregnant was over a hundred years ago. Plus you're a guy."

"I know tha'! Ain' like I walk around thinkin' I dun have a penis!" the man snapped. "An' ya know Reapers of both genders are fertile, righ'? Jus' harder fer us to get pregnant."

"Fertile, but practically sterol when you look at the statistics." Ron pointed out.

"Righ', but there's still a chance... I'd rather not be taken by surprise, thank ya very much! Findin' out m' horse was expectin' was enough fer me!"

"If she's expecting, then why are we riding her all the way into town?"

"Ya can still ride a pregnant horse - benefits them, actually, helps build muscles and strong foals; besides, I dun push her, I let 'er go at 'er own speed." He gently patted the horse's belly, smiling when a small kick nudged his hand. "Sweet tyke's awake..."

"Are you sure..?" Ronald looked at her, "…Never been around a pregnant horse before…even though my parents owned a few of them…"

"Yeah... I had ta look this up once Reaper got knocked up. It's safe, an' I'm careful with 'er." He paused for a moment, before taking Ronald's hand and pressing it against Reaper's belly.

"…It feels weird…" Ron muttered after a moment.

"'S wha' happens when ya have a baby inside o' ya" Eric said with a shrug. "But see? Strong, healthy little guy, ain' 'e?"

Reaper glanced at them, taking the opportunity to continue nuzzling Ronald's face.

"She thinks yer a foal" Eric said.

"I—I'm not that young!" Ronald blushed.

The horse paused for a moment, smelling something peculiar about the blond boy. Glancing down, she stared at his torso, before lower her head to sniff at his stomach in curiosity.

"H-hey that's getting a little too familiar, Reaper!" he paused, "That's her name, right?"

Eric nodded, frowning slightly at the horse. "What's up, love?" She lifted her head after a moment, only to lay it upon Ronald's shoulder. "Somethin's got 'er worried 'bout ya... She might smell the poison..."

"It's not poison—she probably just smells Sebastian—you know a lot of animals dislike the smell of a demon…"

"Probably... Still, we need ta take ya in again once yer better..." After brushing down the animal, Eric gently slipped the blanket upon her back, lifting Ronald up to sit upon her before climbing up behind him.

"I still say I'm perfectly fine—you and everyone is just freaking out because I was with Sebastian behind your backs!"

"Which has gotten ya in so much hot water, any more will put ya in exile 'r even more discrimination!" Reaper took off with a steady trot, being mindful of her baby. Eric petted her, no reins or saddle at his disposal. "Thought o' more names fer the little one." Eric mused, ignoring the blond in favor of his mare. "Fleur's French an' nice-" A loud snort. "No? Geez, yer such an English horse..." She whinnied. "Fine, have yer pride... Toby?"

"Naming a horse before it even comes? And Toby's a horrible name for a horse." Ron said.

"'Course... 'S like naming yer baby before it comes outta ya. I may agree with Toby... Avalon?" Reaper stopped for a moment, tilting her head to the side in thought.

"I think you should go with something cuter. Or that kind of matches it's mommy's name."

"...Scythe, then?"

The horse whinnied.

"There, see? She likes it better than 'Toby'." Ron grinned.

Eric chuckled, ruffling Ronald's hair. Then he frowned; it had been so long since the two of them were like this. Relaxed, happy, laughing... Like friends.

"…still hate you for this dress thing…" Ron sighed, leaning back against Eric.

"Annnd I hate you fer givin' me overtime." Eric smirked, gently wrapping an arm around the boy, holding him carefully. Reaper trotted through town with a merry attitude, Eric urging her towards a familiar funeral shop. "Give Al a good greetin' this mornin'" he said, stopping before the store before yelling through cupped hands. "MR. HUMPHRIES IS A BUNNY RABBIT!"

The window opened and Undertaker peeked out, giggling, "He's at work already—oh how cute, taking your girlfriend out on a romantic topless horse ride?"

"I'm not—" Ron started to protest but the older reaper giggled.

"Such a pretty dress, my dear~"

"Yup, takin' Veronica 'ere out fer a romantic date!" Eric grinned. "When does Al's shift end?"

"Working late, I'm afraid. Probably thanks to your pretty little Veronica. But what can we do?" he grinned at the scowl Ronald was supporting.

"Same as me then, same issue" Eric glanced at Ronald. "Ain't gonna be pretty bringin' 'im in again today... People weren' exactly happy with 'im last time."

"…I was only a little late is all…" Ron muttered.

"Correction - ya were a lot late an' ya fucked up with yer shift, paperwork, an' messin' around." Regardless, he rubbed the blond's arm, slowly discovering that little touches of comfort would calm him.

"…Little late…" Ron muttered.

"Well! At least this time you are all dolled up—though that bruise is a nasty one…I don't remember it being there yesterday, my dear…" his eyes flickered to Eric under his silver fringe.

Eric merely stared back, before a lightbulb went off above his head. Leaning forward, he gently pressed his lips to the bruise, before rapidly pulling back again. Oh, he was going to get smacked later, but it was too perfect a moment to pass up. Especially if it meant seeing the old man growl in displeasure.

The elder raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

Eric smirked, gently resting his cheek against Ronald's head.

Ron scowled, "Despite being stuck with you I still have a boyfriend, Eric. And he wouldn't be pleased to see you doing this right now."

"Fuck him. 'E ain' yer boyfriend, kiddo" the man stated, his beard tickling the boy's collarbone.

"I do fuck him." he grinned, "Enjoy it, too—well, most of the time…" he trailed off, looking down at Reaper's mane.

"Yer fucked up fer enjoyin' it." was all the blond said. "He hurt ya, though... didn' 'e?"

"It…it was my fault…I was late getting home…"

"I know tha'" Eric said before he could stop himself.

Ron seemed to deflate. A part of him had hoped that it hadn't been his fault…that he didn't deserve such punishments…but he did. Even Eric said so.

Realizing his mistake, Eric gently cupped Ronald's face. "I didn' mean it was yer fault fer comin' home late... I meant... I may have followed ya home tha' nigh'..."

Ronald bit his lip, "Why?"

"...Because I worry about ya."

"….Then why didn't you stop it?" he whispered, "You saw me begging him—didn't you? Heard me crying? Saying I was sorry…"

"Sort of..."

Ronald stayed silent, pulling away from leaning against Eric.

Eric watched him, an odd sense of guilt settling inside of him. "Look, it ain' m' fault, kid!"

He shook his head, "…No…it's mine. I'm just a fuck-up that deserves punishment…I don't know why I would have hoped that I deserved being saved from that…sorry…it probably wasn't comfortable in the bushes…"

"Oi..." He gently rubbed the blond's back. "Stop tha'."

Undertaker frowned, "…Sounds like it'll take you time to help him realized he was being used…he's fallen hard for that crow…"

"Tell me 'bout it." Eric groaned. "This mornin' 'e tried ta convince me on visitin' 'im... See Ron? Even the old fart says yer 'love' is bollocks!"

Ron glared at him and elbowed him in the ribs, causing Undertaker to loose himself in a fit of giggles.

Eric made a face, poking Ronald in the side. "'Ey! 'S wha' ya get fer fuckin' with m' head earlier! Which reminds me, I have an appointment to schedule, damn..."

"It had been a joke! How was I supposed to know you'd be able to take it seriously?"

"Have you two come just to make me laugh?" Undertaker grinned, sitting in the window with a leg dangling out.

"Ya dun make jokes like tha', 'specially if there's a possibility of it bein' true - an' shut yer trap, you!" He pointed towards the Undertaker.

"So I should get back to work? I have three bodies to prepare for their special day, you know~"

"Yeah, yeah, go sleep in yer coffin ol' man" Eric said loudly, waving him off. "Tell Al I said hi..." Gently urging his horse on, he made a quick portal, riding into the Realm.


	5. Unloved and Unlovable

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 5**

A days passed by. Eric had found someone who had been able to remove the handcuffs from their wrists and Ronald still didn't hear the end of the dress he had been forced to wear to work. Anderson had also replaced Ronald's glasses, though student frames rather than custom as he'd been demoted so far due to his relationship with a demon. He was told he needed to earn back the right to wear custom frames.

Ronald had been permitted to collect his clothes from his decrepit apartment. And he'd been shocked to see it's condition—it had been in perfect shape…hadn't it? Nevertheless, he was moved into Eric's home for as long as he stayed under house arrest.

Ronald slept on the couch, curled up in a ball on the morning of his trial…and his next scheduled doctor's appointment for a follow up on his blood tests. He'd gone back a few times for injections that helped his body heal faster. And the more serious injuries had healed. Bones mended. Though his cheek still supported a hint of a bruise, as well as other bruises under his clothes.

He groaned, rolling over and sitting up. His stomach churning and causing him to hop up and rush to the bathroom, hurling into the toilet. Something he hadn't done since he had last drank too much.

Eric was outside, currently in the middle of constructing an attachment to the house - a mini stable of his own for Reaper. It wouldn't be long until she gave birth, and the man was worried about her - she was healthy, fit and strong, but he didn't like her running loose and being so far away. He'd been building a home for her since the beginning of the spring. Alan helped on the occasion, provided he wasn't being held up by work or his disease; Undertaker merely followed to watch with amusement.

Hearing the doors slam inside his house, the blond groaned from his spot on the lower roof, next to the bathroom window. Seeing Ronald hunched over the toilet, he frowned, lifting the frame up to peek inside. "Barfin' again? Wha' the 'ell did ya do now?"

"Sh-shut up…I didn' do anythi—!" he heaved into the toilet once again. "…I think its them pills that bloody doctor makes me take every night when we have dinner…"

Eric snorted. "Whatever ya say - I jus' think it's cause ya've been eating like a pig!" Down below, Reaper whinnied, voicing her own concerns.

"I've not! My body's still healing and trying to get back up to it's normal state. I need the extra nourishment. That's what the doctor said, at least…" he grabbed a washcloth and wiped his lips clean before standing up and going to the sink to rinse out his mouth.

"Bullshit. Yer eatin' me outta house an' home, Ron! Yer goin' in alone today too... Finally able ta get m'self tested." A loud snort sounded from down below. "Quiet, you!" Eric scowled at his very amused horse. "In any case, at most it's the poison in ya..."

"Oh hush, Senpai! You know I'd help pay for food if I hadn't been cut off from my funds! Besides, the court is paying you extra because you've been forced to be my babysitter."

"Best part o' the deal!" Eric sniggered. "If yer finished, ya can help me with this fer a bit before we leave... or a' least watch Reaper fer me. She's gettin' antsy - she hates me bein' on the roof; 's like livin' with m' mother again..."

"She is a mother. And she cares about you so it makes sense. Especially when you can be clumsy sometimes—like when you stumbled over nothing and dropped me off the porch back when I still couldn't walk."

"Tha'... was fuckin' hilarious." Eric laughed. "But yer righ' there - she's gonna be an excellent mam ta her baby."

"It was not! It hurt! I still have a bruise from that fall!" Ronald protested, turning off the water and crossing his arms, "Makes sleeping uncomfortable."

"Yeah, says the bugger who hogs half the bed!"

"I only shared your bed when we had to because you handcuffed us together because even though I couldn't walk you thought I'd run away!" Ron pointed out, walking to the window and poking him in the chest, "Now I'm out on that rather uncomfortable couch of yours."

"Couch fer yer fat ass!" Eric growled, poking the blond in the stomach in return.

"I'm not fat!" Ron hissed, clearly insulted. Which made him pause. Why did he feel insulted by that? He had just sounded more like Grell than himself. He shook his head. Maybe he was just moody over not getting a decent night's sleep in so long. He turned and walked to the door, "…I'll go down and watch Reaper."

"Good boy, tubby!" Eric grinned, pleased from the previous reaction. Closing the window, he crawled along the roof, glancing down at the horse.

Ron grit his teeth, ignoring the older man as he walked out of the house and over to the horse, petting her side and resting his cheek against her neck, "He's annoying…you should push him over or something…" he muttered moodily.

She shook her mane out, gently nuzzling the boy's cheek.

Ron smiled and pet her nose. "In any case—he better hurry up. If I'm late for the doctors I'll be late for court and that won't help my case in the least…" he sighed and moved around to face her, "How's baby Scythe doing? He being a good boy in there?"

She nodded her head, feeling her foal moving about restlessly. She moved to rest her head on his shoulder when she froze, her head shooting up.

"…What is it?" Ron asked, frowning at her reaction.

Off in the distance, dark clouds covering the sky, was a giant black horse. It's mane the color of coal, eyes a glowing crimson red, and hooves whiter than snow.

Ronald stared at the horse once he caught sight of it. It was…beautiful, like a painting. He glanced at Reaper, "Know him?"

But Reaper flattened her ears, bellowing a call of warning at the other equine. The horse seemed to smirk, staring directly at Ronald.

"Don't seem to like him, hu?" Ronald smiled, "Don't worry."

But she almost snarled, rearing up a bit in fright.

Slowly, the horse began to change, its body shifting and changing into that of a dark haired man with red eyes and a crow's smirk, dressed in the clothes of a butler.

"R-Reaper!" Ronald was knocked down when the mare reacted. And fearing he'd get trampled by the gentle, but panicked horse, he rolled over so he was further away before starting to push himself up.

The butler smirked at the sight of the blond on the ground, ignoring the animal he was with, slowly, he reached out, beckoning the blond to his side.

Reaper snorted, moving to stand in front of Ronald.

Ronald looked up, his eyes widening, a smile replacing his look of startled fear. "Seb!" he took his hand, pulling himself up and hugging the demon.

The crow chuckled, his eyes shining a bright fuchsia as he wrapped his arms around the blond. "Hello, dearest~ Have you been good?"

Something was different about him, his tone almost mocking. Reaper wailed, seeing the crow slowly edging away into the distance. Stamping her hooves, she took off, bounding for her master. Eric had just finished nailing in a wooden board when he heard his horse cry. Frowning, he glanced down, seeing her in a riled up state, her head constant turning back to the moor. The blond man raised an eyebrow, looking up into the distance - his eyes widened. "RONALD KNOX!"

"I've missed you…" Ronald said, looking up at his boyfriend, "They wouldn't let me go see you—I'm sorry." He reached up to touch the demon's cheek.

But the crow merely stared at him, his smile suddenly less friendly. His eyes drew up and down the boy's body, stopping at his belly. Slowly, he reached out, resting a hand on the surface - his grin grew wider. "So... It has worked. How amusing."

Ronald blinked, a cold shiver running through his body, "…Sebastian?"

The butler regarded him coldly. "Well, little Reaper, I thank you for your time. Without you, I doubt I could have been successful."

"Sebastian…what are you saying?" Ronald asked, his voice a broken whisper.

"...You truly are as thick as they say," Sebastian chuckled. "Did you honestly think I actually loved you?"

Ron's eyes widened, "Seb…I…You…" words failed to come to him as his lover's words began to sink in. Yet, he didn't want to believe them, and he clung to the demon tighter, "No…Seb…Please, I…I…" he swallowed, closing his eyes.

"Please what?" the crow sneered. "You worthless piece of dirt - really, who in their right mind would love such a waste of space?"

Ron's eyes snapped open, looking up through pools of tears that started to form at the distasteful look the demon was giving him. He shook and took a step back, "Se-Seb…Seb, please don't—I love you…"

But Sebastian merely laughed. "Oh, you foolish idiot - no doubt you are the dumbest of your kind, even more than that Sutcliff idiot. Have I not made it clear? I despise you!"

Ronald felt his heart shatter, and he dropped to his knees, hunching over, "Then…then why—why tell me you love me?" he gasped, tears streaking his face and disappearing into the grass.

"Why? Simple - I needed to gain your trust for intimacy after all. If I couldn't, then what kind of Phantomhive butler would I be?" His smirk was ice cold, mocking, as the crow relished in the pain radiating from the blond. "But my task is complete, and your role is done - thus, we part ways. Do not cry, Mr. Knox. It is merely how animals like yourself mate - one cycle, then gone..."

The blond balled his fists, gripping the grass and ripping it from the ground in the process. "…It's not…" he gasped, pain in his voice, "We love—we trust!" he pushed himself up and ran at Sebastian, knocking him over and straddling him, "I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!" he cried, gripping his coat, "My trust, body…heart…and y-you…" he lowered his head, resting his forehead against his chest, "…Are th-they making you say these things? Sebastian—please…I…I need you…"

The crow narrowed his eyes. "So...you are going to be difficult. Faustus was right, Reapers are a pain in the ass. However..." He smirked, lowered his hand to Ronald's belly, a red glow emitting. The sensation of his insides churning and burning, the pain of a thousand needles stabbing through Ronald all at once. "Perhaps I can destroy the toy a bit more before I go... the little one will be fine, but you...I cannot say so."

Ronald cried out—his scream one of pure anguish, body falling back off Sebastian and twitching on the ground.

Sebastian grinned with a sadistic glint in his eyes, sensing something attacking the blond from the inside. "My, my... How rough it likes to play..."

"St-STOP! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" Ronald screamed, his body writhing and twisting painfully on the ground.

Sebastian merely ignored him, watching with amusement. He moved to approach the blond again, but a sudden force threw him off, sending him flying to the side. Landing hard on the ground, he spat, a growl floating from him as he glance up at his attacker with narrowed eyes. Eric stood in front of Ronald, his scythe held defensively. Sebastian merely chuckled. "Ahhh... Another Reaper. How nice."

"Beat it" Eric growled. "This ain' yer territory, beast!"

"True, it is not... but he is." The crow pointed towards the screaming boy; the blond man snorted.

"My ass 'e is... 'e's mine!"

Sebastian's smile faded, replaced with a sneer. "We shall see..." he stated, leaping into battle with the Reaper.

Ronald continued to scream; oblivious to the fight, or that Eric had even showed up at all. All he knew was that he was in pain. Stabbing needles burning with hellish flames all over his body—at least that's what it felt like. He rolled over onto his side and found himself getting sick again, expelling the rest of his stomach's contents until he was dry-heaving painfully.

Eric snarled as Sebastian knelt panting before him. "Not bad, Reaper..." the demon grinned. "But this isn't over... far from it. I will be back soon enough, and when I return... You can count on never getting your little blondie back again." He vanished in a flurry of feathers, leaving Eric alone with the sick boy.

Wasting not a moment, the blond raced over to Ronald's side, kneeling down beside him. "Ron! Ron, are ya arigh'?" He gently touched the boy's front.

The pain was starting to fade, and the blond shook, gasping for air. His eyes were wide behind his wire-rimmed glasses. Sebastian…didn't love him—didn't want him. He was a fool, useless, dirt, and…unlovable. Even with the physical pain fading, his heart was still breaking and he cried out a sob, rolling over onto his side and curling up into a ball.

Eric said nothing, resorting to carefully taking the blond into his arms, holding him for a moment.

Ron hid his face in Eric's arm, sobbing into it a long moment before catching his breath enough to speak, "Y-you were right—h-he never l-loved…"

"I tried ta tell ya, kid, but ya didn't listen..." He gently bounced the blond like one would a child, rocking him in his arms. "Are ya alrigh'? Sick?"

The boy nodded, swallowing around the lump that formed in his throat, "H-he did something t-to me…"

"Where did 'e touch ya?"

"St-stomach…" he trembled, pressing a hand to his lower gut.

Eric frowned deeply, gingerly placing a hand on the blond's abdomen.

"…Still burns…" he whimpered, "Er-Eric-senpai…" he looked up at him, "…what's wrong with me? Why…can't I ever…be happy..?"

Something pinched the man's heart, the words striking deeper than they ought to have. Glancing down at Ronald, he said nothing, instead moving to press a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"…I'm sorry…I…I've been such a foolish brat—you…have only tried helping me and I refused to listen because I…thought I could be loved…" Ron slowly sat himself up and took a shaky breath, feeling the left over burning-stabbing sensations moving from his gut and gathering on his chest over his heart, "…We…we better go before we are late…"

Eric rubbed the boy's back, gently scooping him up into his arms. Walking with him back to the house, they were greeted with a frantic but relieved Reaper. Eric patted her muzzle, gently sitting Ronald upon her back before climbing up.

As Reaper carried them towards London where they could open a portal to the reaper realm and the hospital, Ronald remained silent, looking down in thought as his mind dwelled on Sebastian's heartless words. One thing was right…all those times he thought he deserved such abuse…he did deserve them. Because he was such a fool to not see what he'd gotten himself into that night at the pub when he'd gotten so drunk he'd gone home with a demon. How stupid he was for seeing that same demon again and again, time after time until he fell in love…

Eric slowed Reaper to a stop, gently patting her side before dismounting, taking Ronald into his arms again. The hospital was busy that day, doctors and nurses rushing back and forth, names called out on the PA system, and patients wandering about the halls. Eric was called in about ten minutes after he arrived, a doctor leading him away into a room for his testing, leaving Ronald alone.

The young reaper's betrayal had not gone unheard by most reapers, and he felt even more alone without Eric by his side as reapers he'd never even seen before glared at him. He couldn't blame them, though. What kind of idiot would believe that a demon could love them? He took a shaky breath and tried to turn invisible. But soon he was also called back and he was forced to stand, walking past a group of whispering reapers that glared at him as he passed them.

The doctor admitted him into his office without a word, though he did gently pat the boy on the back for comfort.

Ronald took a shaky breath, "…I think…those pills you gave me are making me sick…" he said, trying to ignore his emotional turmoil, "I started getting sick after I started taking them…throwing up, and stuff…"

The doctor hesitated for a moment, before walking towards his desk. "Mr. Knox..." he started. "Please have a seat. I'm afraid...we have some rather disturbing news..."

Ron bit his lip and moved to sit down. He had been in the day before to give the blood samples needed for the follow-up testing.

"We took at look at the blood tests... Frankly, most of what we saw were traces of demon taint and poison... But then we discovered something else..." He picked up a sheet of paper upon his desk, handing it to the blond.

Ron looked down. Demon taint and poison. "…I'm sorry…I probably have more now…I—I saw the demon today and he…he did something to me…"

The doctor glanced at him in alarm. "What? "

Eric had just finished with his testing, the doctor promising him results within the next couple of weeks or so. "Lazy eejits." he growled, buttoning up his shirt as he entered the waiting, frowning as a cluster of nurses and doctor came running down the hall. "Wha' the fuck?" He turned to one. "Oi. Wha's with the rush?"

Ron nodded, "He touched me and his hand glowed red and all I could feel was a burning, stabbing pain all over my body…"

The doctor, however, was talking into a phone. "Yes, yes... It came after him again. I don't know! Ask Mr. Slingby when he arrives!" There was the sound of footsteps rushing down the hall, before the door burst open and doctors came rushing in. Eric followed after him, making a beeline towards Ronald.

Ron jumped, startled, "What..?"

"Dun ask me, kid. I know as much as ya do..." he looked at the doctor for an explanation. "Wha' the 'ell did 'e do now?"

Ron shook his head, "I—I just told him I saw…that I saw him again and he did something to me—I thought he should know because he's my doctor…it still hurts a bit…"

The medical staff wasted no time, ushering the blond into another room, laying him down upon an examination table. Eric followed them, his frown deepening at the sight of an ultra sound machine getting hooked up.

"Alrigh'!" he snapped. "Enough o' the bull! Wha' the 'ell is goin' on 'ere? You!" He rounded on their doctor. "Wha' the fuck is wrong with Ron?"

Ronald frowned as he was strapped down to the table. "I won't move—why do you have to do tha—ow!" a nurse drew another blood sample and hurried off with it.

"We have to work fast. We need to submit all our reports on him to the courts before the trial." Another said, pulling up Ronald's shirt to expose his belly.

The doctor swallowed, glancing at the lion with a nervous expression. "Well... As I was saying to Mr. Knox... We found something else other than poison though the testing..."

Eric glared. "Go on..."

"...Fetal development, Mr. Slingby."

"WHAT?"

"Ron lifted his head; "What? What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"...You're pregnant, Mr. Knox. With the child of a demon..."

Ronald paled, "What? N-no! I can't be!" he struggled to get up, but the straps held him in place as the staff continued their work.

"The evidence is in your blood tests. You can read over them yourself." One of the nurses squirted a load of gel onto the blond's stomach, moving a wand over the surface as an image began to form on a monitor. "There." A tiny little thing, baring a resemblance to a tiny sea monkey, sat nestled inside of the blond.

Ron stared at the monitor, his mouth gapped open. "I-I'm… That… Oh Sweet Rhea!" he gasped, feeling sick again, "B-Bucket!"

One of the nurses snatched one just in time, holding out to the blond with a worried look. Eric's face held a look of concern, as he went to his charge's side. "Ron?"

Ron waited until he finished heaving into the bucket and groaned, leaning back onto the table, looking up at Eric, "…Senpai…" his lip trembled, "…I'm scared…"

"As well you should be. Demon children are not the same as a normal baby—and no, we can't abort it. It'd kill you in the process."

Eric gently took Ronald's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "..D'ya know wha' gender it is? I've heard tha' sometimes the damage done depends on if the baby is male 'r female..."

"Demon-tainted hormones in his system suggests it'll be male, but we won't know for sure until it is bigger."

"Lovely. The greater o' the two evils" Eric growled. The medical staff finished up the rest of the testing and sent the two on their way, but not before the doctor came to them with some information regarding Ronald's pregnancy.

"I…" Ronald looked down at the packets on pregnancy, male pregnancy, and demonic pregnancies that he'd been given, "…I can't do this…I can't! Not alone! Not when…not when he never even loved me…even a little…"

"...Yer gonna have ta." Eric's voice was hard, almost cold, his expression irritated and exhausted. "This is yer fuck up, so yer gonna have ta live with the consequences! Ya wanted ta love a demon - this is wha' happens! Convinced, finally? Are ya fucking convinced? Shit, Knox!" His voice rose with every sentence, until he was all but yelling at the boy. His patience was worn thin, and having Ronald panic had been the last straw.

Ronald's eyes widened and he backed up a few paces. "I—I'm sorry—I…" he swallowed and started breathing harder.

Eric snarled, turning on his heel and stomping down the hall. "Shit, 'e can' even do one fuckin' thin' righ' fer fuck's sakes!" He glanced back at the blond. "WHA' THE FUCK ARE YA STANDIN' THERE FER?"

Ronald looked down, slowly shuffling after the older reaper, his grip on the pamphlets tightening. "…I…I never asked for all this, though…" he whispered to himself—of course if anyone heard they wouldn't care. He was just the idiot traitor who let himself get used by a demon. Eric practically grabbed him by the scruff, marching him all the way down to the court halls.


	6. Storm

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 6**

Ronald sat in the court room, trying his hardest not to give in and break down over everything that had happened that day. Sebastian, the baby, and his impending court-ordered punishment. He almost wished it would be death. But the courts rarely gave such a verdict. He hadn't betrayed the reaper kind enough for that.

He watched in helpless silence as the evidence against him piled up. And then his medical tests were presented. The doctor explaining the exact levels of poison in his blood and how much of it was mind-controlling. He cringed at that. He'd fallen victim so easily.

And then finally; the rather public announcement of his pregnancy. A picture of the ultrasound being presented along with the testing proof. Ron nearly sank all the way under the table at that.

Eric stayed silent throughout the entire trail, not once glancing at Ronald. Finally, the judge spoke up, relaying on how the blond how shamed his kin and betrayed the society as a whole. His name was mud amongst Reaper kind, young and old, and his crimes would be published and documented for further demonstrations.

Ronald bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to break down. Sebastian—had destroyed his life. The judge's words faded out as he found himself lost in his own thoughts.

"…However, because it's been proven that his actions were not entirely his own. Mister Knox will not be jailed but left under house arrest until he can make up for his crimes and prove loyalty once more. Do you understand, mister Knox?"

Ronald was nudged and he gave a nod, "Y-yes, your honor…"

"Then, it is by our decree that until such is proven, you are to wear a collar of undignified shame, made to track your every movements and actions, day and night. As well, to demonstrate the brunt of your shame, the moment the pregnancy begins to show, you are required to down a specialized gown, as a symbol of what you have down upon yourself and others, in public and at home. Is this clear?"

"Yes…" he choked out, finding it harder to hold back his emotions, and hanging his head to hide his tears.

"Then we as the High Council hereby find you guilty of betrayal."

Eric glanced away, training his eyes on a window high up along the wall of courtroom. A single, small canary sat on the sill, chirping away absent-minded of the serious discussion going on below.

Ronald choked on a sob and hid his face in his hands, "…I…I'm so-so sorry…"

"Sorry is not enough Mr. Knox. Court dismissed." A bang of a gavel sounded and people got up to leave, talking amongst themselves.

Ronald broke down further, folding his arms on the table and hiding his face in them.

Eric watched them go, filing out of the room like a cluster of aunts, before moving to follow them.

"Mister Slingby—a word, please?" the judge asked, gathering his things from his podium.

Eric paused halfway to the door, silently cursing as he turned to the Council member. "Sir?"

"Approach the bench." He said and waited for Eric to walk over to him before lowering his voice, "…How has Mister Knox acted while he was in your care?"

"...Sullen. 'E finally knows the truth, after t'day..."

The man nodded, glancing over at Ronald who had yet to move from his spot, "He's behaved for you?"

"Yes an' no...depends with 'im. Mostly yes. Sir, about the baby-"

He raised an eyebrow, "We'll be dealing with that at a later date. We can't order an abortion because it's a demon child…but what is your concern?"

"...The demon ain' finished with Knox yet. 'E plans ta come back fer 'im... an' the baby I think..."

"We can't let that happen. Knox has climbed too far up in rank and knows things we can't let demons know. Even if it is against Knox's will, the demon, with time, could break him enough to tell him secrets." He paused, "Mister Slingby. Would you say that Knox trusts you?"

"... I dunno... I used ta be closer ta 'im, but since this demon arrived on scene... I haven' been around 'im as much."

The judge nodded, his hand on his chin in thought. "You are a good reaper. And you have been loyal for many years, despite one large black mark on your record." He studied the Scotsman a moment, "I hereby officially leave Miser Knox in your charge until he's regained the respect of our realm once again. You of course will be compensated for the inconvenience by the courts, and in addition," he leaned in closer, "That black mark on your record will be stripped away should you be successful at keeping Knox out of said demon's clutches."

Eric was about to protest when the bargain struck. That black mark, the one that had labeled him for life... If he did this, his name would be cleared and his record stripped clean. A new start, free from being observed, a load taken off his back. "...Fine. But I need extra pay! Damn kid is eatin' me outta house an' home with this baby."

"I did say you'd be compensated." The judge nodded, pleased that the man agreed.

A guard approached, carrying a collar and a bracelet transceiver, handing it to the judge. The judge took it with a nod of thanks and looked at Eric, "Lock this on the boy, and wear this bracelet. As long as you both are wearing them he can not go too far from you without you knowing, and he receiving a reminder. You may leave the bracelet with someone else should you be at work as he is not to go out on official business for the dispatch. It's a bit cruel, but it's protocol for reapers under house arrest."

Eric nodded, taking the bracelet and slipping it onto his arm. Grabbing the collar, he turned, moving back to his charge's side. "Oi! Get up, ya great big lump!" he nudged Ronald with his knee. "Gotta get this on ya."

It took Ronald a moment to respond, lifting his head to look tearfully up at Eric holding the collar. He said nothing, only taking a shaky breath.

Kneeling down, Eric wrapped the collar around the boy's neck, fastening it with a click. Standing, he said nothing, turning to once again walk away from the blond.

"You best follow him before he gets too far ahead of you." The guard said as he passed by Ronald.

Ron silently got up and slowly shuffled out after Eric; hardly noticing how the crowd outside the court room parted around him, as if not wanting to get too close to him. Reapers glared and jeered at the blond as he passed, shouting out insults, threats and harsh words. None showed an ounce of sympathy.

"Traitor!"

"Ingrate!"

"Git!"

"Burn in hell!"

Some even braved to come close enough to poke him, and shove him a little as he walked across their path. Ron ignored it all. Or tried to, even when he received a shove that was so hard he stumbled sideways, knocking into a trash bin and tripping over it with a clatter, trash spilling out around him.

A snarl sounded from the crowd, one man in particular storming over to grab the blond by the hair, pulling him up. "You little shit!" he snapped, spit flying from his mouth. "How dare you call yourself a Reaper!" He shook the blond with much force.

Ronald gasped and flinched, turning his face away, "Let go of me… Sure, I fucked up—but you people have no right to touch me!" he snapped.

A crack echoed across the hall, the man pulling his fist away from the blond's face with a sneer. Ron's glasses tinked as they flew off his face and hit the floor a few feet away. His eyes were wide, his cheek—so close to healing fully—now promising another dark bruise soon to spread over his flesh.

The man growled, preparing to strike again, when a hand enclosed over his raised fist. "I'd let 'im go if I were ya, lest ya want any sliced off fingers." a voice growled in his ear. A saw was positioned in front of his face, the jagged blade sharp and polished.

The man swallowed thickly, dropping the blond with a scowl. "'E deserved it..." he muttered, pulling away from Eric before starting to storm off. The Scotsman waited a moment, before reaching out, grabbing the man's arm as he past and twisting it like a wire. The scream that followed were bloodcurdling, as a sickening crack sounded alongside a pop.

Shoving the quivering man aside, Eric glared out at the crowd. "Anyone else wanna fuck about 'ere?!"

"Eric-senpai…" Ronald looked up at the man in surprise. Sure, they had been friends, and yes they had been living together since he had been caught. But somehow he hadn't expected the man to stand up for him. Alan, maybe. He was kind and forgiving. And Undertaker was a madman with crimes of his own. He'd not care that Ronald messed up the way he did. But—Eric?

The crowd backed away, fearful of the lion's wrath. Slowly, they dispersed, until only Eric and Ronald remained alone in the hall. Without a word at all to the blond, as he had been all afternoon, Eric resumed his stroll, headed towards where Reaper was, grazing in a garden.

Ronald fell silent, but hurried after him at a faster pace than before after grabbing his glasses from the floor. At the very least, Eric was protection.

-x-

Another storm rocked the house that night. Eric stood working in the kitchen, cutting up bits of duck he'd gotten from the market earlier that day, a pan of root vegetables sitting atop the stove in waiting.

Ronald had remained silent, keeping to himself and out of the way, sitting in a hard wooden chair in the corner of the sitting room, where he figured he'd be forgotten about. Eric hadn't spoken to him since the Hospital, and he was sure Eric had just been stuck with him again against his will.

The blond suppressed a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. He really was just a waste of space.

The temperature was dropping, the house becoming rather chilly in less than ten minutes. Eric, however, remained unbothered, adding the duck along with some bit of pork and spices to the pan, sticking it into the oven before moving upstairs to run a hot bath.

Ronald shivered and glanced over at the cold stone hearth. He bit his lip. Eric seemed to be out of wood to burn in it—maybe he could be useful, and Eric would be able to stand him, at least? Maybe even enough to speak to him again. It was strangely lonely.

He got up, fingering the black collar fixed around his neck as he slipped out the door and walked around the house to where Eric had an area set up for chopping wood. There was a small pile of logs already ready for taking inside, so he rolled up his sleeves so that they wouldn't get dirty, and he loaded his arms.

It was raining hard, the cold winds howling and pushing against the blond, screaming loud in his ears. Ignoring his discomfort, he covered the wood with a small tarp before leaving the semi-shelter over the wood chopping area and awkwardly hurried across the yard back towards the house. Though his path soon became blocked with the loud cracking and splintering of wood when a large branch fell from a tree, almost hitting him. Gasping, he changed his direction to go the long way around back to the house.

There was another crack as a tree was struck with lightening, beginning to descend down upon the blond. With a cry, the boy pitched himself forward in the mud, dropping his load of logs as he slid in the mud, narrowly missing the tree—almost. Part of one of the branches hit his leg, but not in the way that it'd pin him down. And he, after some twisting, managed to pull himself free.

Thunder cracked above him, lightening beginning to strike the ground close to where he lay. Footsteps echoed down the path, someone running towards him.

"F-Fuck…even Mother Nature hates me…" Ron muttered to himself, slipping in the mud again and falling back.

"KID!" Eric bellowed out, soaked to the bone in only a towel. "WHA' THE FLYIN' FUCK ARE YA DOIN' OUT 'ERE?!"

"I—I wanted to help you out—bring in fire wood…you had none inside and it was getting cold!" Ron called out over the roar of the wind.

"EEJIT! YA NEVER GO OUT IN A STORM LIKE THIS! ARE YOU STUPID?!"

"…Apparently…" Ronald felt tears pricking his eyes again.

"DAMMIT! I THOUGHT YA'D BE SMARTER THAN THIS!" The blond took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"The storm didn't look this bad! And I got out there without a problem! The wind picked up on my way back—I just wanted to help! I…I wanted at least one person to think I'm not a waste of space…"

Eric said nothing for a moment, still trying to ease his flaring temper. Running a hand down his face, he groaned, noting the mess of wood he'd have to clean. Moving about, he began gathering the logs, holding them up with one arm.

Ronald grabbed the two logs near him and stood up, hanging his head as he carefully headed back inside, "…I'm sorry I keep making mistakes…"

Eric still said nothing, but reached out after a moment to pat the blond on the shoulder, raising an eyebrow as he felt him tremble. "Yer freezin'...Eejit."

Ronald didn't speak. He was cold, wet, and muddy, yes. But he was also crying, sobs shaking from him. And he didn't know how much of his shaking was from the cold, and how much was from his tears. Once they got to the porch, he reached out, as his hands were less full than Eric's, and he opened the door.

Eric followed him inside, setting his load down before retrieving the remaining two from Ronald. Afterwards, he turned, approaching the blond boy. Taking a hold of the muddied shirt, he began unbuttoning it, slipping it off his charge's shoulders.

Ronald kept his gaze lowered, adverted away from Eric. And He shivered as his wet skin met the air.

Eric continued until Ronald was stripped down his bare nothings, shivering and cold in the freezing air. Reaching out behind the blond's legs, he lifted him into his arms once again, making haste towards the stairs.

"…I can still walk…" Ron choked out, "I'm not completely helpless…"

Eric ignored him, cradling him in his arms as he walked into the bathroom, the bath still full of hot water.

Ronald was lowered into the water and his shivering started to ease, though tears still ran down his cheeks and dripped into the bath, along with rain water from his hair.

Eric climbed in behind him, as he had the morning they were stuck together, though this time he gently wrapped his arms around the blond, pulling him close.

"…You…don't have to… I know…that you probably hate me even more than everyone else…because you're stuck with me…"

"Shhh... I'm sorry. I shouldn' have lost m' temper like I have t'day... 'M jus' exhausted, stressed an' worried, especially fer ya. Dun ever, ever wander off like tha' again - ya almost gave me a heart o' attack. I thought the demon had come back fer ya." He reached up, gently wiping away the tears cascading down Ronald's face. "C'mere..."

"You…don't hate me? Why?"

"Because... yer m' little Ronnie." he kneaded the boy's back, as he had done before. "A stupid little eejit who's lost 'is way an' gotten into shit - jus' as always." He grinned, the words meant as a teasing joke. "I may be pissed, but yer still m' best friend, Ron. I ain' gonna jus' leave ya out in the cold, even if ya half deserve it fer yer mouth."

"But I more than just screwed up, Eric! I…I let him…" he bit his lip and hugged his knees to his chest, "And on top of that I'm…I'm carrying his spawn, Eric!"

Eric went silent, though his hand reached down to rest upon Ronald's belly, in a protective manner. "'S not 'is... 'E's yers. Yer 'is mam, ya have all righ's ta 'im."

"He put it in me—I never wanted this…I'm barely an adult! How can I be a parent? And…it's a demon! And even if I do somehow make a good parent what kind of life would it have? I can't even take two steps without having something thrown at me! He—He has ruined my life…and…and what kind of a life can the baby even hope to have now?"

"It'll get better... Trust me. I know...I went through the same shit m'self before. But people let go after a while, an' what ya did was nothin' like the shit I caused. It was also against yer will, 'r tha's wha' we're playin' it up as. As fer the baby... we'll have ta see. It could be more Reaper than demon if we're lucky."

"You killed ninety nine people who would have died anyway, and almost got you and Alan-senpai killed…I trusted a demon and got pregnant. You were suspended from work and put on probation—I've been stripped down to nothing and under house arrest…" he fingered the collar about his neck. "…it's like I'm a dog…"

"...I killed not ninety nine... Tha' was a lie the court put out ta cover the real damage. It was nine hundred and ninety nine... innocents who were not ready to die yet... All fer Alan. To stop the Thorns... a thousan' pure souls... I fell victim to a fairy tale tha' was never real..."

"…You loved him…you were in love with him…and you did it to save him…Me? I did this to myself. I hurt myself thinking someone loved me. I…was selfish. You were selfless…"

"No... I was selfish. Alan had accepted his fate - I couldn'... I couldn' bare ta see 'im die even if it meant I sent m'self straight ta hell... But in the end, we both lost... it was fruitless waste..." He began washing Ronald's hair and body, until all the mud was cleared away.

"You were still thinking of him, though…" Ronald sighed and leaned over the edge of the tub; watching water drop from his hair onto the mat on the floor. "…Do you still love him?"

"...Yes. I do... But not like I used ta... Tha's passed. He made sure ta lemme know tha'..." He pulled the plug, lifting Ronald back up, stepping out of the tub, grabbing a couple of towels sitting off to the side.

Ronald stood up and pulled away, looking up at Eric, "I had always thought you two would finally officially be together…It seemed so sudden when he revealed that he was with that old geezer…"

Eric nodded, his expression rather solemn as he dried them off with the towels. "I made some casserole with duck an' pork.. an' some vegetables I had in the garden... Should warm us up." He managed a smile at the blond, looking for a way to lighten the mood... something to make Ronald smile for once... "I got m' testin' done today."

"Get the results yet?" Ron asked, though he knew it was unlikely with how rushed they were with testing him that they felt the need to strap him down.

"Nah... They said it'll be a while. Busy as all 'ell in there... yer findin' this hilarious, aren' ya?"

He shook his head and looked down at his stomach, "…The topic's all too real to be funny…"

Eric frowned, moving to gently rub the boy's back. "Sorry, Ron... Jus' tryin' ta make ya smile."

Ron looked up at him and attempted a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes "…Thanks, Senpai…"

"Tell ya wha', ya can come with me when I go ta get the results, an' if it's positive, ya can laugh yer ass off at me then."


	7. Heat

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 7**

Spring gave way into summer, the weather getting hot and sweltering during the height of the day. The sun beating down on the earth relentlessly. Children flocked to the rivers and beaches to cool off. Water was in high demand. It was only June, but it was promising to be a long, hotter than normal summer.

And Ronald lay spread out in the shade of the porch of Eric's home, draped in layers of skirts. He had begun to show his pregnancy, and as ordered, he was given only gowns to wear. Even though he wasn't quite that far along that he could still easily wear his own suits just fine.

But the shinigami society was still very freshly against him. Harassing him any chance they got. Though they made sure Eric wasn't within earshot. None of them wanted to deal with the Scotsman. And all of them pitied him for having to watch the traitor, Knox. He was only doing his job, after all.

Ron groaned, realizing he was out of water in his glass. "Too hot…."

Eric stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow. Before him stood the newly finished stable, painted an off-white to match the rest of the house. The Scotsman beamed at his work, wiping the sweat from his tanned neck with his shirt, discarded once the heat had became too much. Putting away the rest of the paint, he exhaled, glancing over at Reaper, the horse trotting over to the porch, her sides very swollen. "Poor girl" he mused. "Foalin' in this heat gonna be a bitch." He went inside the stable, testing the water pipes for the trough he had set in place for the mare, happy to find it working without issue. Topping her supply of water, he walked out, following the mustang to where she now stood sniffing a lounging Ronald, spread out over the deck. Eric shook his head, grinning slightly as he ran up, flopping down beside the blond with a thud.

"Hooot, Senpai, make the sun go away…it turned the house into an oven…trying to make a Knox and demon baby pie, I swear it is!"

Eric sniggered, gently brushing the hair out of Ronald's face. "Can I have wings with tha'?"

"Whaa? No! But pie does sound good…cold one…not hot."

"I migh' be ta do tha'... Wha' kind were ya thinkin' of?"

"Key lime pie?" he rolled onto his side, his hair, having grown out a little, falling over his eye as he looked up at his friend and caretaker. They had started getting close again; rekindled their friendship after the trial. It was for the best as they were stuck together. Ronald couldn't do much on his own. The collar around his neck (Which strangely enough looked like a choker necklace when he wore a dress) ensured he couldn't go far from Eric without a smack shock of pain. On Eric's end his bracelet only gave off a beeping sound. So, Ronald couldn't go anywhere without Eric, and that limited what he could do for himself. He constantly had to ask Eric for things he'd normally run and do on his own—like go into town to get something to snack on.

"Gotcha" Eric grinned. "All we need is some cream - we can go into town fer tha', maybe even visit Al and tha' old fart ya both enjoy bein' around." He reached out, pulling the boy close to him. "Yer startin' ta fill out more..." he teased.

"Shuddup…no I'm not…" Ron protested, but smiled.

"Yup, a chubby wee Dormouse~" the man chuckled, resting a hand on Ronald's side. "I have an idea..."

"Hmm?" Ron hummed, leaning over against the painted railing of the porch, "If it involves ice then it's a yes."

"Why dun we go to the beach? 'S hot an' bein' around 'ere ain' gonna do us any good... especially you two with the babies." He nodded towards Reaper, the horse leaning down to nuzzle Ronald's face; she had grown very fond of the blond, and wasted no time in showing her affections like she did with Eric.

Ron smiled and pet her, "We aren't riding her there. Not in this heat!"

"''Ell no, 'specially not with 'er bein' further along." the man said with a nod. "We can go after we make the pie... it'll be a picnic."

"Just keeping you in check. Your judgment isn't always the best when you are overheated. And I know you are overheated. _I'm_ overheated and I was just laying here pretending I'm a starfish shriveling up and dying while you were out there working up an even bigger sweat than you already had just by being alive!"

"'EY! Are ya callin' me lazy?"

"No, I'm saying you were working way too hard and before we leave you should be sure to drink water and try to cool off."

"Probably true - but I got the stable done a' last. Nice an' homey fer Reaper an' 'er foal." He sat up with a groan, pausing for a moment before reaching over to tickle Ronald in the side, stumbling away with a laugh before he could get chased.

"H-hey! No tickling when its so hot out!" Ron protested, standing up.

Eric merely smirked, strolling into the hot house, aiming for the kitchen. "How was the morning sickness earlier?"

"Worse when we are being cooked." Ron sighed, stroking Reaper's nose. "Too bad you don't have the same problem." He smirked. Eric's tests had come back negative.

"An' I am so glad I dun!" Eric laughed. "Ahhh... Shit, if ever there was a time Alan's yelled a' me more, ya name it... still pissed a' ya fer tellin' 'im."

Ron grinned, "Just shows he still cares for ya. And he's right. You are an idiot drunk."

"Oi, I am not!" Eric defended, filling up a glass at the sink before handing it to Ronald. "...Ya know, Alan still doesn' know the results... I only get 'em a couple o' days ago. Wanna help me prank 'im?" He grinned at the blond; recently, he had been trying to get the boy's old spirit back; the cocky, mischievous, flirting child that was Ronald Knox.

"You want to pretend that you are pregnant?" Ron raised an eyebrow, "What, do you get off on Alan scolding you?"

"No!" Eric's face went beet red. "I jus' wan' ta see 'is reaction - ya saw 'is face last time, ya were pissin' yerself laughin'!"

"Well, yeah. Because you got freaked out so much over one drunken night that you got yourself tested! You needed a good scolding about that and Alan-senpai is one of the best! Besides, I was laughing at your face, not his. You looked like a kitten who couldn't play with a ball of yarn, the way you looked down at him as he scolded you!"

"So would ya, if yer bein' told ya can't have sex again fer at least plus nine months!" Eric pouted. "C'mon, Ron! Have some fun with me fer a bit!" 'I want to see you smile again...'

"You haven't had sex anyway since I came here. I'd know if you did." He pointed to his collar, "Not like I could miss you going out and picking up someone." He drank his water and looked up at Eric, "He'll be more upset with you once he finds out it was a lie."

"It's jus' a joke..." Eric rolled his eyes. "I'm doin' it anyways, I gotta get back a' 'im fer leavin' the old fart with me last week."

"You're funeral. At least you'll be surrounded by coffins already. Best choose one first." Ron smirked, setting his glass aside, "Well, if you're ready, lets head out. It's a long walk."

"Wait, lemme put on a shirt..." Eric ran upstairs for a moment.

"But it's your day off—and it's hot…" Ron muttered while he was gone, wondering why Eric would choose to wear more than he had to. Hell, if Ronald had the choice, he'd be walking around stark naked.

Eric came back down a moment later, sporting a wide laughing grin. Two things were noticeable - the man was sporting a grey work shirt covered in sweat stains, and his stomach had a sudden slight bulge to it. "Convincin'?" he said, moving his shirt to show a white tank top underneath, tucked into his pants to hold a small pillow in place.

"That better not be my pillow you are getting your gross Scottish man-sweat all over!" He said, poking the bulge, "And your bigger than me—did you forget he sees you at work?"

"Actually, we haven' really seen a lot o' each other fer a while... 'E's been confined ta paperwork an' Spears moved 'is fuckin' desk to the other end o' the office an' all I've been havin' 'is fieldwork on account o' lookin' after ya. So... I'd say it's been a month or so..." he sounded almost mournful. He removed the pillow, going back to the bedroom to exchange the pillow with the smaller one on the bed to make a smaller bump. "There! Now I look like ya!" he said, walking back out.

Ron nodded, "Fine…lets get going." Somehow, he found himself bothered by the tone in Eric's voice. It really shouldn't have, he knew all too well that Eric had been in love with the brunet. That they had almost gotten together before Eric made one too many mistakes. But still. It bothered him nonetheless to hear that longing in the man's voice.

Eric shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind as he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder, guiding him out with a kiss to the cheek. "If ya play along like a good kitten, I'll give ya a bigger piece o' pie later... Maybe walk 'round nude..." he flashed him a grin.

"Right, like seeing your naked arse will convince me to help you lie. Pie is more promising, though." He smirked.

"With extra whipped cream." Eric grinned.

"That's more like it!" He lifted his skirts as they stepped down off the porch. Having learned his lesson to do so on steps after having tripped the first time he had to wear a dress. Eric had had quite a laugh over it.

"Tha's m' Ronnie!" Eric laughed, even more at the sight of Ronald being extra careful on the stairs. They led Reaper with them into town, people left and right giving them a glance or two (mostly an odd look at Eric), though most ignoring the pair in favor of shopping. Stopping at the old funeral shop, Eric cleared his throat. "Oi! Alan! Get yer rear out here! I know ya have work off t'day! Stop bangin' the old fart an' come say hi ta me!"

"Too hot to bang…" Undertaker giggled from a dark corner of the room, fanning himself with a pink lace hand fan. His normal layers of black were stripped away, leaving him in just his pants, boots, and a white button-down shirt, open half-way own his pale chest. "Really, you seem to think that's all we do. My little flower isn't all that interested in it. It's more a rare treat."

"Oh shut up, you. They don't need to know how often we do that!" Alan said, shuffling into the front room, dressed similarly. His shirt open and showing the vine-like lines under his skin. He was usually so properly dressed, but the heat convinced him to be a little more slack in his appearance.

"Bullshit!" Eric sniggered to Ronald, adding in a low whisper only the blond could hear. "Remember, stick with it, kiddo." He waited until the door was open before flushing red, feigning embarrassment before 'hiding' behind Ronald.

"What's wrong with you?" Alan asked, sitting down and taking Undertaker's fan when it was offered to him.

"Senpai's pregnant and doesn't want you kicking his arse for it." Ron stated matter-of-factly.

Eric gave a sheepish grin to Alan, mentally cheering at Ronald for his cooperation. "Uhhh... hi?"

Alan stared at him a long moment, "Serves you right for sleeping around like a drunken street-walker. Honestly, Eric. You need to be more responsible!"

"Oi! I am responsible - I haven' aborted this thin' have I?" Eric huffed, coming out from behind Ronald to march inside the shop. Reaper snorted, drinking from a water trough set outside the store, almost shaking her head at the man. Undertaker took one look at Eric before collapsing in a fit of giggles.

"That's not the point! It's one thing for Ronnie to be pregnant! He'd been poisoned and used by a demon! You on the other hand brought it on yourself! Going out drinking every night? Sleeping around? You used to not do that! Well, you always drank…but the point is, you have gone off the deep end after I left you. I just want to see you move on, and you can't! Not like this!" He got up and walked over to Eric, "You can hardly take care of yourself—How will you take care of a—" he froze, his hand pressed against Eric's 'pregnant' stomach, his look of disappointment twisting into annoyance before he looked up at Eric, "…You're an ass." He let out a rare curse.

The sign to the shop fell to the ground outside, startling the horse as loud laughter of the local Undertaker echoed off the walls. The elder lay slumped against a coffin, wheezing, a trickle of drool falling from his mouth. Eric glanced down at Alan, his body shaking with pent up laughter, though his smile didn't exactly reach his eyes.

"Ronald?" Alan rounded on the younger reaper.

"Don't look at me! He promised me a larger slice of pie with extra cream if I played along!" Ronald said, putting his hands up, "And I really want pie."

"Leave Ronnie outta this, Al... 'S was m' idea" Eric said, still wearing the same, half smile.

"Why? For what reason?"

"Told you he wouldn't be amused." Ronald sighed and walked out to calm Reaper.

Eric merely shrugged. "Thought it'd be funny."

"How is that funny! I hope to Rhea you never do have a child because it'd probably won't survive your sense of humor!" Alan snapped.

Eric's smile suddenly dropped off his face, replaced with a look of anger. "Excuse me, but I'd be a damn good parent if I ever had the chance!" he snapped.

"You don't show it!" Alan snapped back.

"Oh dear…" Undertaker stood up and swept over to them, pulling Alan back, "I believe the heat has gotten to your minds. We best stop before either of you say something you'll regret."

"Enough has been said..." Eric's voice was cold, yet almost flat, his expression angry but also hurt. Turning on his heel, he moved to exit the shop. "It was jus' ta make Ron smile again."

"Eric…Eric, come back! I'm sorry…"

Eric paused for a moment, his hand on the door handle. His head dipped and his shoulders slumped, a loud shudder exhaling from his chest.

"It just wasn't a funny joke and I took it the wrong way…I didn't mean what I said—Your taking care of Ronnie the way you do…that proves you could be a good father if you ever found yourself in that position."

"No, yer righ'... I'd be a shit parent, even if I ever had the chance... I ain' good with kids..." Eric all but murmured, his eyes trained outside on the blond petting the horse.

"I must agree with Alan." Undertaker stated, "You may be stubborn, but you have been there for the boy when no one else was. You still are. As far as I know the only friends he has in the world right now is the three of us, and of us it's you who stays by his side no matter what—and I doubt that silly collar and bracelet has much to do with that. You are also the only one trying to make him smile again. That speaks volumes, Slingby." He pat the reaper on the shoulder.

Eric merely nodded, still watching the boy outside.

Alan watched Eric, biting his lip, "…Eric…are you alright?" he asked. The look on Eric's face…he'd seen it before a long time ago. It was the look Eric used to give him.

Eric took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut. "...I'm fine. It's nothin'..."

"…Are things…going okay between you two?" Alan pressed, "I know he's not been the same Ronald Knox everyone had known before this whole mess…everyone can see it, even if they don't acknowledge him unless they are harassing him for what happened…"

"Thin's are... Okay-ish. Knox is still sufferin' from depression... 'e doesn' show it but it's there... An' then there's the baby. Court's debatin' on it's life - they dun like the idea of a hybrid runnin' around, but I've been arguin' ta give it a chance... Ron needs another chance..." He rested his hand on the doorframe, feeling suddenly exhausted. "Been workin' extra shifts.. Fuckers dun give enough compensation fer me ta support both o' us, so I gotta make do with more hours..."

"That explains why he seemed so torn when I asked him if he was excited for the baby…" Alan muttered, looking over at Ron, "…He's probably afraid to get attached to it because the courts may take it from him…"

"And then he'd feel even more alone, whether or not he's grown attached or not. But he will—no matter what. You can't carry something inside you for nine months and expect to keep emotions out of it." Undertaker nodded, scratching his cheek with a long black nail.

"I know..." Eric murmured. "I've been tryin' ta fight, but it's a pain in the ass when they keep comin' back with new excuses... I need ta keep on goin', fer Ronnie's sake. So long as 'e needs me, until 'e's ready to move on, I'm 'ere... 'S what m' purpose is."

Undertaker moved up directly behind Eric and leaned down to whisper in his ear, his long thing fingers hooking under Eric's chin to tilt his head up, "Have you fallen in love with him, Slingby?" he asked the very question he knew Alan was thinking but was too polite to voice.

Eric said nothing, pulling away from the old mortician to open the door. "Ron an' I are headin' ta the beach in a bit... Feel free ta join if ya wish."

"Which beach? Surely not the one in the reaper Realm." Alan pointed out, not wanting to see Ronald have to deal with such harassment when he was just trying to cool off.

"One by m' house..." Eric said. "Not far off, in case Reaper goes into labor..." He exited the store, moving towards the boy and his horse.

Undertaker watched him go. "...He's bothered inside..."

Alan nodded, "Lets go with them. It'll be cooler at the beach, and I'm suddenly worried for Eric…"

"Oh?"

"I know that look…And I don't want to see him hurt himself again… Not long ago curing my Thorns was his 'purpose', and look how far he went. Ron's still hurt from what the demon Sebastian had done to him—and the boy's quite oblivious when it comes to others liking him. They could both be set up for pain…"

Undertaker merely nodded in agreement, his face grim and set. "Eric has let loneliness eat away at his heart for too long... He's becoming consumed by it. I doubt more heartbreak will do him any good, or little Ronald."

Alan nodded, a tug of guilt in his heart, "…I didn't help that at all…"

"My dear, it is not your fault!"

"I know…I know, but I didn't help. I broke his heart back then…and then I was the first to move on. He's still lingering in that loneliness…I thought…that he'd move on by now…really move on. One night stands don't count, and I hate seeing him like this."

"As do we all... He needs to get his life back in order. Couple more of these drunken mishaps and he may really end up pregnant...or worse. We don't need another falling into the hands of a demon like poor Ronnie. Then there stands that other issue... I fear what another heartbreak would do to both of them... If Slingby really is in love with Knox..."

Alan shook his head, "Ronald may have been poisoned and manipulated into loving Sebastian…but the love he felt had been close enough to the real thing. His heartbreak of learning the truth…plus the baby on the way…I fear its all too soon for Ronald, should Eric confess." He watched the two interact outside. The smile Eric had on his face as he ruffled Ronald's hair. "…They'd be good for each other…as long as they don't go too fast for Ron, and Eric doesn't go off and do the extreme like he had done with me…and you know he could, too. If Sebastian is still out to get Ron or the baby, he could do something stupid to save them…"

"Yes... Slingby always has been the selfless kind, even as a boy..." the elder mused. "We can only hope that with time he learns to love again... provided Ronald feels the same."

Alan nodded, "I want to see them happy…"

"As do I, my dear... As do I..."

Outside, Eric sat on the steps, being affectionately nuzzled by a very happy Reaper.

"Eric…can we get the pie first? I'm hungry…" Ron complained, slumping over in a very un-lady-like fashion.

"Yeah, we'll get the pie done... Unless ya want ice cream first." he smirked, pausing as the door opened.

"With watermelon." Ron requested, "I don't care—it's lunch time and I haven't eaten since breakfast! …You make good eggs…"

"Alrigh', so long as dun wan' pickles with it this time!" Eric laughed, jumping as long black fingernail stroked his cheek. "AHH SCYTHE!"

"Ronald, you may want to sit up, fix your skirt and close your legs—I can see your underpants." Alan stated as he closed the door and locked it. A bag over his shoulder.

"So? I'm a guy." Ron shrugged.

"But we are in the mortal realm and people here will think you are a young woman. You should act like it."

"Indeed, little one~ Lest someone see your privates, no we can't have that!" the Undertaker giggled, taking amusement in poking an irritated Eric's cheeks. Reaper whinnied, trotting over to Alan, sniffing him curiously.

"Reaper, don't tell me you've forgotten about me already! You should know me, girl." Alan smiled, petting her, "Though it has been a while."

Ron groaned and sat up, "too much cloth in a dress…"

"She's expectin' a foal soon," Eric said with a smile, moving away from his elder to approach the horse and brunet.

Reaper nuzzled Alan's cheek, though she also butted him with her head, as if to say, '_where in the world have you been_?'

Ronald watched as Eric walked over to Alan, and he pushed himself up, his gaze lingering before he turned back towards the door, "…I'll be back…bathroom."

Eric paused for a moment, watching him with a slight frown.

Ron ducked inside the shop when Undertaker opened the door for him, and headed to the bathroom, locking the door and leaning over the sink, splashing water into his face after removing his glasses. With a sigh he looked at himself in the mirror, wondering why he'd grown upset—again. All Eric had done was walk closer to Alan…

There was a knock on the door. "Ron? Ya in there?"

"One moment! Hard ta piss with holding this skirt up!" he lied.

"Can we talk?"

"…Now?" Ron asked, drying his face with a towel and backing up to lean against the wall, turning his face away from having to see his form in a dress, the slight baby bump making itself known.

"Yes. Please."

"Can't it wait until I'm done?"

"... Alrigh'. I'm waitin' 'ere though."

"Afraid I'll run? Come on, you know I couldn't if I wanted too."

"No, but so I can stay close" was the answer he got.

"…You're weird…" Ron muttered, closing his eyes a moment before moving to use the toilet and then wash his hands. He then opened the door and stepped out, glancing up at Eric who had indeed waited right there.

"C'mere" Eric said, drawing him into a hug. Lifting him into his arms as had been doing for the past couple of months, holding him like one would a child upon their hip, he peered into Ronald's eyes. "Wha's botherin' ya?"

"…Nothing…I just had to use the toilet. It's a normal thing to need to do. Even on ungodly hot summer days."

"Nice try," Eric growled, though he did so lightly. "But I know tha's bull. C'mon, Ronnie. Wha's eatin' ya? Ya know I ain' gonna let up..." He moved his body back and forth, rocking the boy in his arms.

"Don'—stop that!" Ronald pushed Eric away, "Stop treating me like a kid!" he said right before realizing he'd been picked up and he'd just pushed himself out of his arms. He was unable to catch himself as he stumbled to the floor, landing on his rear. "—oof!"

"Ron!" Eric knelt down, placing a hand on the blond's back. "Are ya alrigh'? Is the baby okay? D' anythin' hurt?" He found himself firing off a loud of questions, worry overtaking him.

"…I'm fine. Wasn't that hard of a fall…" Ron looked away.

"...'M sorry. I dun mean ta treat ya like a kid. I jus' wanna make ya happy... Make ya feel safe... secure... I wanna show you tha' I care."

Ron looked down, "I know you do…"

"So wha's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Ron snapped, fighting the tears that would give him away, "Nothing's wrong!"

"Liar!" Eric narrowed his eyes. "I know somethin's botherin' ya, Ron. I can see it in yer eyes."

"I'm fine, Eric! I'm fine being alone…"

A low exhale. "So tha's it..." Arms encircled the pregnant Reaper, gently drawing him close once again, hands rubbing soothing circles on his back and up his arm.

"Stop…I'm not a replacement, Eric…I'm just the idiot you got stuck with…" Ronald rubbed his eyes before tears could pool up.

"Wha'?" Eric pulled back slightly for a second. "The 'ell are ya talkin' about?"

Ronald fell silent, hugging his knees to his chest.

Eric looked at him. "I ain' replacin' anybody... Alan an' I... Never happened ta begin with. Tha's long passed - 'e's not the one I want..."

"You still love him, though. I'm not blind. I see how you look at him and hear how you talk about him—even though he's moved on. Then you go treating me like a kid and—!" he stopped, cutting himself off.

Eric raised an eyebrow. "...So tha's wha' this is about..." It was the second time he said it, but the first of which where the pieces had finally come together.

"…I'm not a kid…" Ronald whispered.

"I know yer not..." Eric held him close again. "But ya are still a boy... a teen. Young... ya should be happy. I wanna make ya happy, Ronald... I wanna... I want ta be there fer ya."

"Why? Because I'm broken? Because I'm carrying a baby? A distraction from what you can't have?"

"Because I love ya!" He blurted it out before he could think, his face paling the moment he said it. _'Shit_...'

Ronald blinked, turning to look at Eric, "…You…you _what_ me?"

Eric bit his lip, nodding slowly, casting his eyes to the side. "I dun... I can't... Ever since I lost Alan... M' heart was bleedin'... But ya were there ta heal me. When ya left... I felt like I had nothin'...same pain as before...same emptiness... I missed ya, missed ya so much... I didn' realize how much I needed ya... Til now..."

Ron's mouth hung open a moment, "But…but no one can love me…" he whispered a moment later, remembering Sebastian's words to him.

"Not true." Eric snapped. "Dun ya dare believe wha' tha' demon says... Tha's shit an' ya know...I know it." He gently tilted the blond's head up, softly kissing him on the nose. Lips would be too quick and abrupt at the moment. "I love ya...The real question is how the fuck can someone love a big brute like me?" He grinned.

Ronald looked up into Eric's eyes, searching them before reaching up to cup his cheek, "…It's not so hard as you might think…"

Eric chuckled, turning his head to kiss the soft palm. "Ya'd be surprised - I spent years tryin' ta find someone... Never got anywhere with any..."

"I fall too easy…and always for the kind of guy who is the worst for me…I always…I always think that he's different than the others—I thought Sebastian was…but he wasn't…he was the same as the one before him…I don't know if I can trust my heart anymore…and now…its telling me to trust you…Eric—I…I don't want to be hurt anymore…"

"Ssshhh... It's alrigh'... I know how ya feel. We dun have ta, if ya dun wanna - I'm not gonna force ya into anythin' tha' would hurt ya. If ya want... we'll take it slow... I wanna heal ya, Ron... I dun wanna jus' be another one night stand anymore. I want someone ta love... to be with."

"…Don't…want to be alone…" he wasn't sure if he was finishing Eric's thoughts, or voicing his own. Maybe even both. But Ronald tilted his head up and met Eric's gaze in the dim, sweltering little room of the shop, "…I don't even know when I fell for you, Senpai…"

"Same fer me... I jus' did. I fell in love with the wee Dormouse..." He glanced down, gently resting a palm on the small baby bump. "Yer beautiful, sweet love..."

"Even…even though I am carrying h-_his_ child? What if I keep it? What if I can't?"

"Shhhh... No matter wha' happens, it's yer baby - our baby. I ain't gonna let anythin' happen ta ya 'r 'im... little mousie needs his mama." He leaned closer, pressing a kiss to the bump. "Dun worry, little one... I'm gonna protect ya an' yer mama..."

Ronald blushed a deep shade of red, "…But…the courts…They are still debating on what to do with my baby… My opinion counts for nothing, I know…If…if you start getting attached then…then what's stopping me from doing the same?"

"The fact tha' I'm fightin' fer ya... an' the baby... should be reason enough ta not give up hope." He kept his head upon Ronald's belly, holding him in a comforting embrace.

"Eric…" Ron closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the gentle touches and running his fingers over his belly next to Eric's cheek.

"Sweetheart," Eric murmured, peppering kisses upon the bump, then Ronald's fingers, showering him with as much love as he could muster. "So... Still up ta get some pie, love?"

Ronald nodded, a small, but genuine smile curling his lips. For the first time since his relationship with Sebastian had turned sour; his smile finally reached his eyes setting a slight sparkle to them in the dim light.

Eric chuckled, moving to stand, lifting Ronald in his arms once again - though this time, holding him as one would a bride. "Ta get some cream we go!" He dashed out of the store, finding the other waiting.

"H-hey! I can still walk you know!" Ronald protested, his cheeks still burning bright.

"But I wanna carry ya!" Eric grinned, nuzzling the boy affectionately, disregarding the fact that they were now in front of Alan and the Undertaker.

"It's too hot for that! You'll kill me with the added body heat!" he protested further.

"Awwwwww" Eric faux pouted, but set the boy down nonetheless, ruffling his hair with a smile.

The younger blond blushed and ducked his head, but didn't pull away, "Come on, you promised pie."

Eric laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know - keep yer panties on," he leaned over to press a kiss to the blond's temple. "Are ya two comin' 'r not?"

Alan nodded, "The beach is a good idea."

* * *

Happy New Year, my dear readers! I have decided to give you guys a nice update special. A new chapter on all three of my currently being posted Fics. Enjoy. -Stickie.

Also, I have been thinking of fully moving to AO3. It's so much nicer than Fanfiction. net. I suggest checking it out. Link: (Remove spaces and add a backslash between the g and users)

archiveofourown. or g users/StickieBun/works


	8. Sandy and Wet

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 8**

After a quick trip to the general store, then back home to make the pie Eric had promised his lover, the four Reapers soon found themselves standing on a hillside overlooking a semi-private beach, blue waters crashing against the sandy shore.

Ron looked up at Eric, "I don't have to swim in this dress, do I?" he asked, eager to cool off.

Eric shook his head. "Nah, ya can take if off 'ere. Ain' no one around, this place is practically hidden ta the general public - only cause humans are stupid enough ta believe tha' mermaid drag 'em off 'ere."

"Good! Come on!" he grabbed Eric's hand and pulled him down the hill and into the hot sand, his shoes sinking into the soft ground.

Eric chuckled, keeping a steady pace behind the pregnant blond. "Careful, love! Dun trip on me!"

"I won't trip!" Ron slowed down when they reached a spot that looked good to set up at, far enough from the water where their lunch wouldn't get wet, but close enough for a quick trip into the water.

"Ya say tha' now, an' next thin' ya know, yer face first into the ground with a mouthful of sand." Eric sniggered, his shirt spotted with patches of sweat, including his stomach where the pillow had gotten soaked. It was hard to take him seriously.

Ronald shook his head and grabbed the basket containing their food Eric had been carrying, setting it down on the soft sand and sitting next to it to strip off his shoes and skirts, leaving himself in his boxer shorts.

Alan and Undertaker finally caught up, "Stripping down already?"

"It's too hot to not too!"

Eric chuckled again, pulling off his own shirts and pants, the pillow case falling down onto the towel below. Wandering over to Ronald, he held him gently , standing slightly behind him, hand lowering to caress the baby bump. "Cutie." he purred, pressing a kiss to the boy's temple, "M' cuddly chubby wee Dormouse~!"

"…Why do you call me that?" Ron asked, relaxing in his arms a bit.

"Because I love ya, an' yer m' sweet Dormouse, with little mousie on the way" Eric answered.

"But I'm not a mouse!"

"Doesn't matter. I'm not a rabbit but Eric had always called me his little bunny. It's just something he does." Alan said, setting up the picnic as Undertaker provided shade with a large pink umbrella he had brought with him.

"Mousie" Eric hummed, going around to Ronald front, kneeling to resume his act of peppering kisses along the the blond's belly.

"E-Eric-senpai!" Ronald gasped, blushing as he pushed the man's head up. Alan and Undertaker was right there next to them.

Undertaker giggled, perched on the top of the umbrella. "My, my~"

Eric merely rested his cheek on the bump again, holding Ronald at the waist.

Alan frowned, worried Eric was getting too attached, "Eric, sit up. The poor kid's face is turning into a tomato with you down there. Here." he held out a sandwich, "I made you your favorite."

"Comin'!" Eric practically bounced off Ronald, grabbing the sandwich before taking a bite out of it.

Alan smiled at Ronald, "I didn't know if you would want your usual you usually had at work, so I packed some things so you could make your own since you were busy trying to sneak into the key lime.

"I'll take anything at this point." Ron smiled, "I'll worry about custom sandwiches once I get to the second helping."

Alan nodded and grabbed a pre-made sandwich, handing it to him. He then tossed one to Undertaker and took one out for himself before pouring each of them a glass of water.

Eric chewed his food, plopping on his rear next to Ronald, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "'Ey, Ronnie, wan' some sea food?" he asked with a evil grin.

"Only if it involves you diving down into the water to spear us some food."

Eric grinned even more, opening his mouth to Ronald. "See, food?"

"What did I just say!" Ron turned away, a chuckle in his voice, "And people say I'm the kid…"

Eric swallowed, pulling Ronald onto his lap. "Oh, I'm the kid, am I?" he started tickling him.

"St-Stop! No t-t-tickling!" The younger laughed, wiggling in attempt to get away, but not to drop his sandwich.

Eric merely grinned, laying the blond in his lap, one hand kneading his shoulders. "Admit, mousie - the lion caught ya!"

"A lion, are ya?" Ron grinned, taking the opportunity to steal Eric's last bite of sandwich.

"Yeah, I- OI!" he poked the blond's check with a pout. "M' food! See wha' this little guy does? I'm gonna wake up one mornin' ta 'im eatin' our bedsheets!"

Ron snickered and managed to wiggle away, licking his fingers.

Eric growled playfully, scrambling up to chase the blond across the beach. "Come back 'ere!"

Alan blinked, watching the two as he leaned over against his lover's arm, "Just how close have they gotten over these past months?"

Undertaker chuckled. "Who knows, my dear? A lot of things have happened since little Ronnie's escape."

Alan sighed, "…I just hope…that neither of them gets hurt…whatever this is…"

His lover merely nodded, smiling gently at him.

Alan smiled back and pushed himself up to kiss him, "In any case I hope Ron can stay by Eric's side…He needs someone there for him."

"As we need each other" Undertaker smiled wider, pressing his lips against his lover's. "In any case, look how they are already - a baby on the way. They are lucky, in a sense..."

"…A baby that may be taken away…" Alan frowned, "I've been keeping an ear trained on the courts. They really don't want the child to live."

The elder glanced over at the pair for a moment. "... I will add in my own two cents if that is the case."

"Please." Alan watched the two as Eric caught Ronald and swung him around, loosing balance and falling back into the shoreline with a splash, "I can already see Eric getting attached to the baby…I haven't seen such from Ron yet, but I see him less. When he comes to the office they make him stay in a small empty room near Eric's office, and the door stays closed."

"Indeed... but give it time and little Knox will love that baby to pieces." the Undertaker smiled.

Eric leaned in, stroking Ronald's face. The youthful blond smiled down at the older, waves cooling them off as they crashed over them. Then, slowly, Eric's face drew to Ronald's, until there lips were just brushing against one another, Ron's eyes fluttered closed and he pressed their lips together a bit more firmly.

Eric purred, deepening the kiss, his arms drawing up and around the boy, holding him close. It set a fire alight in the man's heart, a rumble of passion echoing from his chest his throat.

Ronald let out a small moan as the kiss ended, his eyes opening to look at Eric once more. "Eric…"

"Ron..." Their foreheads touched.

Ronald reconnected the kiss, showing more passion this time as he slid his hands up along Eric's sides.

Eric moaned softly, falling back against the waves, hands rubbing up and down Ronald's back. "I love ya... I love ya..." he said once they broke apart.

Ronald ran his fingers through Eric's hair, "I…I love you too, Senpai."

"Well now, isn't that cute!"

Eric jumped, swearing slightly as the Undertaker loomed over them with the biggest grin. "OI! DO YA MIND?! Ya could've given me a ruddy heart attack!"

With a squeak, Ronald sat up, straddling Eric.

The elder grinned, even as Eric shot him a glare, "Ahhh... But it was only a matter of time, my dears. I wasn't that hard to see it."

"You could..?" Ronald blushed and glanced at Eric.

"Indeed, especially with Reaper Slingby's affectionate behavior~" he laughed, moving back to where Alan sat.

"What he means is get back over here and finish lunch! Both of you!" Alan called out.

"Wha' are ya, our mother?"

"I might as well be! Now get back over here before I deny you pie privileges!"

"But—That's my pie!" Ron complained, pushing himself up and holding his shorts up so that the weight of the salt water didn't pull them down as he ran back to the picnic area.

Eric followed him, shaking drops of water from his hair. Taking his place once again beside Ronald, he glanced at his friend—no, not friend. Lover; was that what they were now?

"Got you over here, didn't it?" Alan smiled, handing Ronald another sandwich, which was snatched up eagerly by the pregnant reaper. He looked between the two, his eyes lingering on them when Ron leaned over against Eric, their shoulders touching.

Eric smiled, turning his head to give the boy an affectionate look. He reached down, slipping his hand into Ronald's, intertwining their fingers. The boy responded with giving his hand a squeeze as he ate.

Eric leaned over, nibbling faintly on the blond's neck with a smirk.

"Ahh!" Gasping, Ronald pulled away, "Eric!"

Eric laughed, reaching into the picnic basket to pull out the freshly made key lime pie.

Ron froze, eyeing the pie almost lustfully. Yes. That was what he's been craving all day! He hurried to finish his sandwich.

The Scotsman sniggered, cutting an extra large slice for the younger Reaper. "'Ere ya go" he topped it with a large dollop of whipped cream, handing it to Ron.

Ron grabbed it with the eagerness of a child getting a package on Christmas, taking a fork and digging right in.

Undertaker laughed, "Sure, he'll kiss you, Slingby, but when it comes to pie, we know where his true love is at!" he joked.

Eric made a fake whining noise. "I've been replaced! Why, Ronnie, whyyy?" He flopped backwards onto the sand, resting the back of his hand on his forehead. "Oh, the agony! I shan't ever love again, if not to be with m' beloved little Knox!"

"This one tastes like lime, though." Ron said, cream clinging to the corner of his mouth.

Eric pouted at him, gently reaching out to pull him down into his arms. "I've been replaced with pie..."

"To be fair Koxie is pregnant~" Undertaker teased, "It could very well be the baby talking~"

"Stop talkin' fer yer Mama!" Eric scolded the unborn child, gently resting a hand on Ronald's stomach, a smile threatening to break his façade. "Next thin' yer gonna wan' is curry on potatoes."

"With banana slices!" Ron joked.

"Ewwwwww!" Eric made a face.

"Shuddup. If I wanted it you'd make it for me and you know it!" Ron grinned.

"Spoiled..." Eric grumbled, a bit playfully, glancing back at the sea with a smile upon his face. Yes... he would, just for Ronnie. The smile faltered a bit. He would do anything for the boy, even at the cost of his life - Sebastian would _never_ touch him again.


	9. Fall

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 9**

That night, Ronald bathed and went to the sitting room to gather his blanket and pillow for the night. He'd gotten into the habit of wearing one of Eric's shirts to bed, which left his legs bare, and his rear (For lack of wearing boxers to bed) nearly exposed when he bent over to gather his things from the basket setting in the corner of the room. He frowned, not finding his pillow. "Senpai!"

Eric was upstairs washing the remains of sand and dirt from his boxer, cursing slightly at one particular stain that stood stubborn against the soap and sponge, when he heard the boy call out. "Yes?"

"…You use my pillow, didn't you?" the reply came with an annoyed tone.

"... Yes?" He was in deep shit now.

The sound of bare feet on the wooden floorboards grew louder before the door burst open, "We are trading pillows!"

Eric stared at him for a moment, before a sly smirk made it's way onto his face. "Or... ya could use me as a pillow t'night~"

"…You'd like that too much." Ron said, turning to walk into Eric's bedroom and flopping onto the bed, grabbing the pillow.

"Careful o' the baby, sweetheart" Eric chuckled, following him into the bedroom, unbuckling his pants.

"Baby's fine…It's my pillow that's not." He hugged Eric's pillow to him, taking a moment to breathe in his...boyfriends? –scent before sitting up and looking over at Eric, watching him strip down.

Tossing his pants aside, Eric strode over to the bed, not even bothering to clad a pair of pants. Flopping down beside his lover, he sighed contently, all bare and exposed for the blond to see.

Ronald blushed lightly, hiding half his face in the pillow, "Be as sexy as you want. You are not getting your pillow back unless you get me a new one!"

Eric looked at him for a moment. "Oh really?" He reached over sneakily, running a hand up Ronald's bar thigh.

Ronald shivered and nodded, "Yes, really!"

"Are ya so sure~?" He drew his hand up over the blond's rear, kneading the soft skin. "Sweetie, I think ya need ta rethink yer ideas~" Eric drew himself up alongside the blond, resting his head on the crook of Ronald's shoulder, latching onto the nape of his neck, nibbling and sucking.

Ronald gasped, closing his eyes with a moan, "I do not! I'm not giving you the pillow!"

Giving a rather sharp nip to the spot he marked, Eric pulled away, running his hands up the blond's sides whist snuggling against his shoulder, peppering it with kisses.

"Er-ic…" The younger blond groaned, leaning back against the older, tilting his head back to rest on Eric's shoulder, his cheek brushing along Eric's ear.

A smile made its way onto Eric's face. "Ya want me... say it, Knoxie..." He reached around the blond, hands slipping up his shirt.

"That has nothing to do with pillow privileges!" Ronald blushed, setting the pillow aside and turning around to face his…lover? They were acting like it…really, now that he thought about it they had been flirting on and off for the past month when his mood wasn't in the way. Studying the man's face, his eyes following down to his strong, broad shoulders and arms. He bit his lip, running his hand along Eric's lion tattoo, shifting forward so that he was closer, but he hesitated. '_say it_'…it was a command Sebastian would often use. A small seed of doubt began to plant itself in his mind, and he pulled away silently.

Eric noticed the hesitation, and cursed in realization. He'd gone too far; the boy was still recovering from that damn demon's assault. What he was doing was probably sending the boy off into more anxiety. "Shhh... It's alrigh'. I ain' gonna force ya - all I wan' is fer ya ta be happy again."

Ronald lifted his eyes to Eric's, "I…I just don't want…I don't want to be treated like that again…the things he made me say…"

"I'm sorry, Ron, I didn' mean it like that..." Eric reached out, gently stroking the locks of soft blond hair.

"I'm sorry…I didn't want to…to remember him just now, promise."

"No, I shouldn' have been so forceful." Eric shook his head.

Ronald studied the older's eyes again, "…You really love me? You're not just saying that?"

"Look into my eyes, and see if I am lying."

"I'm no good at that…I thought he wasn't lying, either…"

"Into m' soul, then... I would never ever want to hurt you, love."

Ron stayed silent a moment longer, eyes searching his face until, finally, he leaned in, reaching up with his fingers to play with the scruff on Eric's chin as he pressed their lips together once more.

Eric smiled into the kiss, tenderly drawing the other to rest against him. Stroking his back in slow, soothing motions, he hummed a soft lullaby, closing his eyes in contentment.

"Eric…" Ronald rested his head against his shoulder, slipping his arms around him, "I know…you are used to having sex a lot…I was too…but…but can we wait on that? Especially with my being pregnant…"

Eric nodded. "Of course... I ain' gonna force ya if yer not ready. An' it's probably best fer the little one..." He smiled at Ronald's stomach.

"…Thank you." Ronald gave him a squeeze and rested in his arms, "…Can I still move off the couch?"

"Wha?!" Eric gave him an incredulous look before laughing. "I'm kiddin', yer not sleepin' down their, Ronnie." He cradled him with a sigh, leaning back against the window. A noise from the stables caught his ear and he frowned.

"Good, I—" Ronald cut himself off and glanced out the window at the newly finished stables, "…Reaper?"

A desperate whine of a horse, whinnies following in suit; with haste, Eric detangled himself from Ronald, racing out of the room.

"E-Eric! You're naked!" Ronald pushed himself up, grabbing a pair of Eric's pants and hurrying after him, being mindful of his footing on the stares as he followed him out to the stable.

Inside the stables, Reaper was heaving, pawing the ground in frustration, her ears flat against her skull. The moment Eric arrived, she bellow, rearing up against him, snarling aggressively. "Whoa!" he held up his hand slowly approaching the horse. "Easy, girl... 'S me."

Ronald slowed down and slowly stepped in, not wanting to startle Reaper. "Can I help with anything?"

"Get me some water fer her... an' a couple o' towels" Eric said, managing to get close enough to stroke her muzzle. "There, there... 'S okay, sweetheart..."

Ronald nodded, turning to get what was requested.

An hour passed, then two, Eric gently coaching the pregnant mare through labor. Finally, as the clock struck 1:30 AM, another small whinny was heard throughout the stables. Lying curled up in the hay, the new foal slowly opened its eyes, molted grey in color with a mane black as night.

Ronald smiled, helping to clean up the mess, and petting Reaper, "Good girl…I'm not looking forward to doing that myself."

Eric chuckled, cleaning off the foal as Reaper nuzzled Ronald's cheek, snorting softly. The foal glanced at the Scotsman, giving a small questioning whine. Reaper lowered her head, catching her baby's attention, licking it for comfort. "Good girl" Eric said, his arms and hands covered in blood.

"So? Is Scythe a boy or a girl?" Ronald asked.

"Boy." Eric said. "A lovely colt - 'e looks like tha' race horse tha' rode by 'ere once, though... the one tha' got put down fer goin' lame." Reaper snorted, looking somewhat guilty.

"He's still a beautiful foal." Ron smiled, soothing her.

Reaper frazzled his hair, nibbling on the adhoge.

Ronald gasped, ducking, "Not there!" he covered it with his hand.

Eric raised an eyebrow, as the foal wobbly stood up, taking his first steps towards his mother. Reaper nuzzled him, then Eric, butting against his shoulder. The man chuckled, rubbing her neck. "Get some rest, sweetie... Ya deserve it."

Ronald smiled, kissing her nose, "You did good…you both did." He looked over at Eric, "And you, it seems, need another bath."

"So it seems" Eric chuckled.

-x-

A couple more months past, the summer wearing on as hot and muggy, spreading a suffocating humidity over the Mortal and Reaper Realms.

It was to no surprise that by the time October was rolling around, everyone was severely glad to be freed from the heat.

Eric shuffled the papers on his desk, sighing slightly at the clock on the wall ticked away, the hands pointed at six thirty - end of his shift.

Ronald sat in his small room he was condemned to while Eric was at work. Having no choice but to sit alone in the empty room containing simply a hard wooden chair for him to sit in. He couldn't get a job, even in the mortal realm to help out financially because he had to stay near Eric to be 'watched', and he wasn't allowed to walk around the office freely. His days were long and boring, and his growing belly made the chair he was given more and more uncomfortable each day.

Nearly seven months along, and showing it. There was no way to hide his condition any longer, even in wearing the dresses he'd been given. But finally, the clock on the wall reached the end of Eric's shift—and Eric hadn't been there to tell him he had overtime. So, he figured he could safely leave the room and walk to Eric's office to meet him so that they could go home together. With a grunt, he pushed himself up and caught his balance before walking to the door and pulling it open.

Eric had just finished stamping his last report when the door opened, a smile gracing his face as he caught sight of his lover peering inside.

"Ronnie..." he set down his pen, pushing his chair back before beckoning the blond to him. "Love, ya should've waited fer me - I worry ya fall."

"Fall where? Down the hall? My balance is fine if I take my time and don't rush." Ron smiled, stepping in and approaching the desk, "That room is so dull, and that chair hurts to sit in for so long."

"Tyke botherin' ya again?" Eric chuckled, pulling the blond gently into his lap, grunting slightly at the weight. "Yer gettin' almost too heavy fer me... M' poor Ronnie is growin' up..."

He faux shed tears, pouting.

"I'm not! It's all him-her!" he pointed at his belly, "And she's moving like crazy today, too…" he trailed off on a softer note, guiding Eric's hand to where the baby was kicking.

The pout on Eric's face vanished in place of a wide smile, feeling an array of kicks and pushes against his palm.

"'Ey, sweetie... Buggin' Mummy again t'day?" he rumbled softly, gently caressing the area, unconsciously resting his cheek against Ronald's hair.

The baby gave a slightly harder kick against Eric's hand, causing Ronald to let out a small gasp.

"Eric—before you go…" The door opened again and Alan walked in holding a file, pausing as he spotted Ronald. He offered a smile, "Sorry, Ron, but I'm afraid you can't take him home just yet…"

"Awwww, c'mon, Al! 'S been a long day..." Eric pouted, lightly bouncing Ronald in his arms. "I need ta feed the 'monsters' before they eat me!"

He grinned at Ronald.

"Why would we eat you? You feed us." Ronald teased back, slipping his arms around his neck.

Alan sighed, shaking his head, "You know this isn't my call. Spears needs you to go over this." He walked over and set the file down on his desk, "It should only take you a minuet, and I'm sure Ronald will have no problem waiting for you by the lift."

Eric grumbled, but picked up the file. "I'll be a few minutes, Ron... Ya sure yer gonna be alrigh' on yer own though?"

"I'll be fine! What's the worst that'll happen? Someone call me a 'demon's whore' again?" Ronald stood up and kissed his boyfriend's cheek, "I'll be by the lifts so we can be on our way when you finish whatever's in that file.

The blond smiled and walked out of the office with Alan, parting ways in the hall as Alan returned to his own office and he continued down the hall to where the elevators and staircase was located. He sighed, leaning against the wall next to the buttons to call the elevator up to the floor they were on.

Reapers whispered to each other as they passed by, some glaring and others pointing in his direction.

"Oi, demon whore!"

Ronald flinched, folding his arms over his belly, as if to protect his child from what people were saying. He turned his head, looking at the reaper who had called out to him.

The man from a couple months back, whom had struck Ronald after the trial, stormed over, a group of fellow Reapers behind him. "You! Why are you out of your room? Where is your caretaker? I ought to report you!"

Ronald wanted to ignore the man, but he knew from earlier that week during a trip to the mens room, that that wasn't the best way to get the man off his back. With a sigh, Ronald closed his eyes and lowered his head, "Eric's off his shift. I'm waiting for him here so we can leave faster."

"Bollocks! I bet you probably snuck out to play hooky, maybe run amok with another demon! Someone as low and pathetic as you wouldn't think twice 'bout it!"

Eric had just finished reading the file, and was walking down the hall towards the lift and stairwell when he heard the commotion.

"Right, like I could get that far if I wanted to go find another demon!" Ronald snapped, "Leave me alone."

The man snarled, shoving Ronald back.

Ron gasped, stumbling back, his ankle twisting as he lost his footing in attempt to catch himself. With a cry, his body pitched back, towards the open stairwell, his hands barely catching the railing. Eyes wide, he looked up at the reapers surrounding him.

Glares and harsh whispering surrounded him, narrowed green eyes glimmering like glow bugs, as the man approached again.

"RONALD!" Eric pitched forward, racing down the hall, his papers dropping with a clatter forgotten onto the floor.

"…Don't…" Ronald whispered pleadingly as the man advanced on him.

But the man was seeing red, as he slammed his fist down upon the blond's hand holding the railing

Yelping, Ronald let go. He hadn't meant to, it was simply reflex, leaving him teetering on the very edge of the top step.

Yet as he tipped back, falling towards the steps, a large body pushed its way through the crowd, tackling Ronald into an embrace. Eric wrapped his arms around the blond, keeping one held protectively over Ronald's belly. He twisted his body, just in time to shield Ronald as he crash down the stairs with a heavy bang. He winced, feeling the concrete crush into him, his bones cracking slightly, as a loud crunch echoed through his head. In the corner of his eyes, he saw blood spurt out, and hoped dearly that it wasn't Ron's or the baby's.

Groaning, Ronald lifted his head, "Eric!" he gasped, finding himself sprawled out atop the pained Scotsman. He was sore and battered, but more worried for Eric who had taken the extent of the damage from the fall.

Eric wheezed, feeling as if his ribs were broken, coughing up a spray of blood.

"Eric!" Ron looked around, and then back up at the man who'd caused this, and the crowd. "What are you doing? Go call for the infirmary!"

The man growled. "Don't tell me what to do, whore!" he snapped, right before a familiar scythe was held in front of his face.

Alan glared at the man, "Go call for the medical staff."

The man glared at him for a moment, before turning on his heel and walking swiftly away, aiming for the infirmary.

Alan turned his glare at the others still gathered, "If you don't plan to help, then get back to work before I call Spears' attention to this!"

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Ronald and Alan with the injured Reaper. Eric lolled his head to the side, wincing as the pain fired through his body.

"Don't move." Alan said, hurrying down the steps and helping Ronald up and having him sit on the steps, "How's your back?"

"Bad..." Eric managed after a moment, wincing. "I think m' shoulder's dislocated..."

Alan nodded, "try not to move too much. The medical staff should be here soon. Ron," he turned his attention to the younger blond, "How's the baby? Are you hurt?"

Ron shook his head, his breathing heavy, "I don't think so…" his eyes lingered on Eric, "Baby's moving like crazy, though…I…I think it's good…better than feeling nothing…"

Eric yelp as his back gave a loud 'click'.

"Er-"

Ron started to get up but Alan held him down, "You just rest…let the baby calm."

"But Eric's hurt!"

Eric grit his teeth, clenching his fists until his nails were digging into the palms of his hands through his gloves. This was brutal- what had been numb before was throbbing now, and he had the feeling that something other than his ribs were fractured. Barely he began to notice the pool of blood slowly oozing out from underneath him.

"Ron, think of your baby. Stressing yourself won't help him or her." Alan stooped next to Eric, brushing his hair out of his face, "You did good…too bad you couldn't do it without injury to yourself." He chided.

"Better... me... than... 'im..." Eric coughed out, his chest heaving. It was getting harder to breathe through the pain.

"I know." He gave Eric a smile as the sounds of footsteps sounded and a medical team arrived.

Eric glanced up, his vision fading just in time to see the medical staff rushing down the stairs. The last thing he saw was Ronald's worried face.


	10. Secrets

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 10**

Ronald sat by the bed in the medical ward, leaning forward, he rested his head on the side of Eric's bed, his hand holding Eric's, waiting for him to awaken.

The man's eyes slowly fluttered open, the first thing coming to mind being a rather aching headache and the fact that everything around him was fuzzy and blurred.

"You're awake…" Ron lifted his head.

"Ugh... m' head..." the Scotsman raised a hand to his forehead, feeling a layer of bandages. "Where am I? Wha' happened...?"

"Infirmary. You…you got hurt saving me from falling down the stairwell…"

Oh yeah - now he remembered. Sitting up abruptly, he screeched as the pain returned, crumpling into a ball.

"Eric!" Ronald sat up and pushed himself to his feet, "Are…are you okay?" he asked, worriedly.

"Jus'...jus' in a shit load of pain..." the man hissed, rolling onto his side. "Ahhh...Fuck!"

"Don't move!" Ronald tried to hold Eric in place gently, "They gave you something to help speed the process of mending your broken bones, but it works better if you are still…"

Eric panted, jumping slightly at the touch of Ronald's hands. Relaxing slightly, he carefully edged himself forward, until he was able lean his head against Ronald's chest.

"Careful…I don't want you to get hurt more…" he whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "…I've been worried…the baby is, too, I think…"

Eric smiled at him, resting comfortably in the blond's arms. "I'm sorry, love... I didnae mean ta scare ya... or little mousie." he rested a hand on Ronald's belly.

Ron bit his lip, "I can't be mad at you for it… The…the doctor said that a fall like that would have killed the baby—and permanently injure me had you not saved me."

"Are ya both alrigh'?"

Ron nodded, "for the most part. I was told I can't move around too much for a few days…my back twisted oddly and the doctor worries if I do too much I could damage my spine, but other than that I'm fine—the baby is just startled."

Eric shifted. "Lie down with me, sweetheart" he requested, making room for the blond as best he could without straining his injuries.

Ronald bit his lip, "…They still think I'm a whore…what if someone happens by and sees? They might think badly of you for being with me… I don't want them thinking that of you…"

"Ronnie..." he stared at him, straight in the eyes. "I dun care wha' they think. I love ya, tha's all tha' matters!"

"But I do care what they think of you! I—I love you, Eric…it isn't fair that my mistake starts to reflect badly onto you…"

"It ain' yer mistakes. Wha' happened back there was not yer fault, it was 'is. I couldn' bare ta think of wha' I would do if ya got hurt..." he lifted Ronald's hand to his lips with his good arm, kissing the fingers lightly.

The blond slipped into the bed next to his lover, being mindful of his enlarged belly and letting out a sigh as he relaxed, resting his head on Eric's shoulder, "…I understand people treating me like they do…whispering, calling me things, even punching me…but…why did he...push me down the stairs?"

Eric frowned, wrapping his arms the blond, kissing his temple. "'E has problems, tha' one... Always has. Bastard wen' after me when I was under watch too... tried ta shove me down the elevator shaft an' almost succeed had Alan not intervened."

The blond closed his eyes, "It isn't right…no matter what someone did…it's no excuse to push them down things…"

"Well, either way, I'm reportin' 'im... again."

"Better you than me…I'm a liar to everyone but you, Alan-senpai, the old geezer, and the doctor handling my pregnancy case…he at least seems to believe me…" Ron glanced down at his belly.

"Shhh..." Eric moved his hand, resting it upon the bump again. "It'll get better... I promise..." He tried to think of a way to lighten the mood. "I still say it's a girl!"

"There is no way to know that!" Ronald protested, but paused, "…but if it is…what would you name her?"

"...Emily" Eric said after a moment. "Wee Emily Anne..."

"…Not as bad as 'Toby'." Ron teased with a chuckle.

"Oh, hush, I never had kids before..." Eric grumbled, playfully ruffling Ronald's hair. "Oh yeah, wha' would ya name 'er then?"

"If she's a girl?" Ronald paused to think, tilting his head back and looking up at the ceiling in thought, "Annabel. I like Annabel."

"Adorable..." Eric chuckled. "Ya like tha', Annabel?"

There was a small kick against the side of Ronald's inner belly. Ronald smiled and ran his hand over the place he'd been kicked, "…And…if he's a boy..?"

"...Alexander."

"…I like that." Ronald nodded with a smile.

"Hear tha' kid? Daddy named ya" Eric chuckled, even more when he received a hard kick against his hand. "Got yer mummy's attitude~"

Ronald gave a small laugh, "…You know…we haven't gotten any baby things yet…"

"Yeah... I need ta paint the nursery too..." They had decided to use the old storage room as the nursery for the baby, moving all the old boxes and crates downstairs into another smaller - but still efficient room.

Ron nodded, "We should start working on it…I'm due in December, after all…we at least need the basic necessities for him when he comes…"

"Or she" Eric reminded, yawning.

"Either way…" Ron snuggled up with him.

Eric merely nodded, his eyes fluttering closed as he began to doze off, holding tight to his lover.

-x-

A day and a half passed before Eric was given the go-ahead to leave the infirmary, his bones mended and rested. It was a little after noon when he was released and the two left, walking hand-in hand.

Ronald slipped closer to Eric, "Can we look for things for the baby before heading home?"

Eric nodded, slipping his arm around Ronald's waist, fingers stroking his side. "Of course" he grinned, then winced, still a bit sore. "I need ta get a move on spoiling little Alex or Ann rotten~!"

"At least the basics…money is already tight, even after I sold what was left of my apartment to help out…"

"We'll start out with second hand stuff... I hate ta say it, but I have no idea wha' we're doin'... Died when I was thirteen, no time ta get married."

"It'd be nice for at least one of us to know what we are doing…" Ron sighed, placing a hand on his belly, "I don't even remember much of how Mum and Papa had done when my baby brother was born…of course I was still quite young and all I knew was that he wouldn't stop crying at night."

Eric laughed. "Lucky... I dun remember m' family."

"Sometimes I wish I didn't remember my past as a human… Remembering didn't stop me from making the same mistake with Sebastian that I had with the guy I was with as a human…" Ron paused, falling into a solemn silence as he remembered back, subconsciously stepping closer to his lover, "…He was abusive, too…and I never tried to get away…even as he killed me…"

Eric pulled him closer, a grim look on his face. "I heard 'bout tha'..."

Ronald nodded, "I told myself never again, but still, I let Sebastian in…I let him hurt me…and what's worse? I let him make me beg for it…to think its what I deserved…" he sighed and looked back up at his lover, "…How did you know about…my death?"

"... Because I was the one sent ta reap ya."

Ronald stopped walking, looking up at him, "You…were there? It was you? You chose to turn me into a reaper?"

Eric nodded, glancing down at him.

"…Why choose to make me a reaper?" he whispered.

"... I dunno..." the man said honestly. "I guess... I saw m'self in ya..."

"How so?" he frowned.

"...I saw a lost soul. Someone who needed a guidin' hand, but couldn' find it anywhere in that life... Who had potential but never got the chance ta use it... Someone who jus' wanted ta be loved."

"…Eric, you are incredibly cheesy sometimes." Ronald chuckled.

"Oh hush. Ya love me fer it" Eric cracked a grin. "But seriously... we're gonna need help fer this..."

Ronald nodded, "Taking care of a baby…our baby…"

"...Meanin'... I think we need ta make a phone call..."

"Who?"

"...Could try Grell..."

"…I'm sure he hates me…"

"I dun thin so... He seemed fine last I saw 'im..."

"Really? He's completely ignored me every time I happened to see him…"

"Huh... Look's like I have ta have a word with a certain redhead then..." They reached the store, the shop busy with expectant parents and grandparents, even one or two children.

Ronald's eyes darted around the shop, taking in row upon row of baby items, "…Where do we even start?"

"...I have no idea..."

"…Maybe someone here can help us? They all seem to know what they are doing…"

"EHHHH?! EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU INSULTING MY HAIR?!" a familiar voice screeched, coming from the third aisle.

Ronald blinked in surprise, "Was that—?" He grabbed his lover's hand and pulled him towards the isle containing girls baby clothes.

Grell, in his normal attire minus the fact that the woman's red coat covered his shoulders, stood in the middle of the aisle, aggressively attempting to throttle a very nervous employee; William, dressed in a thick fall trench coat, stood off to the side in watch, trying to hide behind a rack of clothes.

Normally, Ronald would have butted in without a thought, but he hesitated, glancing up at Eric a moment before back at the scene.

Eric gave his hand a gentle squeeze before guiding him forward, his arm wrapped around the boy's waist. "OI! The fuck are ya doin', Sutcliff?"

William jumped slightly, though he was not acknowledged, staring at the two with a blank look on his face.

Grell glanced over his shoulder, "Teaching this rude man a lesson on how to address a lady! What else?" His eyes moved over Eric's form and lingered on how the Scotsman was holding Ronald close, and he seemed to forget his current task, dropping the sales clerk and turning, crossing his arms over his chest and putting his weight on one leg, popping his hip out to the side, "And what's all this, then?"

Eric growled slightly, his grip on Ronald tightening. "Lookin' fer baby stuff... Is it a crime fer parents ta get stuff fer their kids?"

"But it's not your kid, Eric—it's Sebas-chan's kid. Did you forget that?"

"Tha' demon has no righ' ta our son or daughter!" Eric snapped, suddenly bristling. "Dun ya dare institute tha' tha' monster is ever gonna be near the baby or Ronnie ever again!"

"He may not see it that way." Grell shrugged, "I wouldn't if I had impregnated someone. And he has more of a claim to it than you do…unless Ronnie-boy has wiggled his way into your bed."

Eric snarled. "Leave Ronnie alone... 'e has enough shit ta deal with what with everyone harassin' 'im everywhere we go." He glanced down at the blond, pecking him on the forehead, in a silent means of reassurance.

"So he has! I suspected as much."

"It's not like that!" Ronald interrupted, "If you think I'm using him for something then you're wrong!"

"Ron hasn't done anything wrong... If you're gonna be another one o' them, I won't hesitate ta slice ya ta ribbons!"

"Relax! It's not good for the baby—or so I hear." Grell shrugged, "I was curious, is all."

Eric paused for a moment, eyeing Grell suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"William's idea, actually. Not mine." Grell waved towards William, "Darling, what are you doing in the clothes rack? Silly boy, come out of there! You aren't a child!"

William froze, cursing slightly, moving out from behind the rack. "To clarify, Sutcliff, this was more your doing than it was mine!"

"Nonsense! You wanted to get the baby a gift and wanted me to help because you don't know what you are doing!"

"You?" Eric frowned slightly. "I thought ya were as pissed at Ronnie as before..."

"Not entirely. I understand the working of demon corruption, but unfortunately, I cannot do much about Knox's testament at work due to the High Council keeping an eye on everyone nowadays..." William interjected, pushing up his glasses with a finger.

Ronald shook his head, "They pushed me down the stairs—and Eric got hurt. That isn't right! The council should at least care about Eric's safety!"

"I heard - we have put in a complaint to the Elders, but its only a waiting game to see if they actually do something... What? Why are you grinning at me, Slingby?"

"Sudden image o' you tryin' ta be a parent."

"You say that as if William-darling is incapable of love! It isn't true." Grell giggled, draping off Will's side, "He's one of the biggest softies I know…once you dig down far enough, that is. He just needs to find the right man, isn't that right, darling?" Grell cooed.

"Off, Sutcliff" William growled.

"No... Though I'll laugh m' ass off the day he comes into work pregnant!"

"And I will give you overtime until the turn of the next century, Slingby!"

"Nevertheless, Will wanted to say he was sorry to Ronnie because he was doing his job and now Ronnie's in such a bad spot…" Grell grabbed up a red baby dress and held it up, "I was trying to get him to get this but he says no because he doesn't know the baby's sex. And for some reason he thinks it's wrong to put a boy in a dress. Humph! It never did me any harm!"

"I'm not gonna say anythin'..." Eric muttered, glancing down at Ronald. "Any chance ya can help us? We honestly have no idea wha' we're doin'... An' it ain' gonna be long until Alexander 'r Annabel arrive..."

"What have you gotten for the darling so far?" Grell asked, "Daipers? Bottles? Anything?"

"...Nothin'..."

"…Late start. I'd suggest a baby shower, but Ronnie's reputation right now would make that idea fail…okay sweeties, William and I will help. Daddy, come with me, we'll handle the bigger things. Mommy go with Will to get the smaller things.

Eric gave Ronald a nervous glance before letting him go, squeezing his hand before wandering off with the redhead. William felt the tension in the air thicken as an awkward silence took place. "So... How are you?"

Ron bit his lip, looking down at his stomach under his skirts, "…Fat." He looked over his shoulder as Eric was pulled towards the baby furnisher area of the store.

"You look better though..."

"…The demonic poisons are nearly out of my system…and my body was able to heal the damage he had done physically…" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly.

"That's good..." William glanced around, trying to find other means of breaking the ice. "Have you thought of any toys for the child?"

Ron shook his head, "Nothing…" he sighed, "…I'm not starting out as a very good mother…"

"I don't think so... I think ever parent has issues when making decisions like this. Not everyone starts out knowledgeable..."

All of a sudden, voice sounding a lot like Eric's shouted out loud, heard throughout the whole store. "WWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTT? "

"Babies are expensive! What did you expect?" Grell's voice followed.

"I said we were gettin' second hand stuff!"

"But these are new and better! Doesn't that baby deserve the best? What kind of father are you?"

Ronald sighed, "…We don't have much money, either. Especially since I can't work…"

"We'll help pay - it's the least we could do to make up for all of this" William stated, heading towards the toy aisle. "Sutcliff, nothing too expensive!"

"Sir—but…but you don't have to!" Ronald insisted, following him at a slower pace, ignoring Grell's growl of irritation at having to hold himself back on a shopping trip. Ron slowed to a stop, spotting a stuffed toy lion with a green ribbon tied around it's neck. He reached out and picked it up.

"I insist... after all I need someway to cut Sutcliff's paycheck..." He paused, looking at the toy held in Ronald's hands.

"…It reminds me of Eric, a little.." Ron said, smiling to himself.

"Do you want to get that?" William asked, barely suppressing a smile of his own.

Ron nodded, "The kid should have at least one toy."

"In that case, I will get that for you" William stated.

"Really?" Ronald looked up, flashing a happy grin—something that lately had only been seen by Eric.

"Really" William managed a small smile of his own. "By the way, I meant to tell Eric this, but since I am with you, I may as well spill it - the fight has turned in favor for you and your baby."

"Really? In the courts?"

"Yes - they have decided that the child, being half Reaper, will be less of a threat than a regular demon... there is a high chance it will not need souls, almost 100% chance actually, according to some of the court-ordered DNA tests of the child."

Ronald let out a sigh of relief. Feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He's been worrying more and more as the pregnancy went on that he'd be forced to give up his baby.

"Who named the little one?"

"Depends on if they are a boy or a girl…I chose the girl's name…Eric chose the boy's name."

"You let Slingby name the baby?"

Ronald nodded, "I liked his suggestion for a boys name…why?"

"No, just... I'm surprised he managed to come up with a good name... Scythe forbid what he named the old goldfish at work..."

"I was surprised too…after he tried naming his horse's foal 'Toby'."

"Oh Rhea.." William pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, it's better than 'Captain Fins' "

Ronald laughed, "Captain Fins is kind of cute, though…for a fish."

"Until it dies two weeks later from being overfed. Though that was Sutcliff's fault." He glanced over in Grell's direction, the later of which was now accompanied by a familiar silver-haired Reaper.

Ronald grabbed a package of cloth diapers and safety pins for them, knowing that they would need it. "Who let Grell-senpai be in charge of feeding the fish?"

"He volunteered. We thought a fish would be the one thing he couldn't kill on accident - wrong decision. The whole office held a funeral for Fins." William picked up a baby blanket, a small turtle on the front.

"…Remind me not to ask him to babysit…" Ronald said, grabbing a basket to keep things in so it was easier to move around and shop.

"Said and done... And here he wanted kids." He put the blanket in the basket, glancing back at the man accompanying the redhead and Eric. "If I didn't know any better, I could swear that is the Undertaker..."

Ron looked back over his shoulder, "…It is." He commented, "Alan-senpai and Undertaker have really been the only friends I've had since the trials…"

"I have observed..." William frowned as Eric began freaking out once again. "Oh, Rhea, what now?"

Where Grell and the Undertaker stood, the silver haired man giggled, watching as Eric stormed over, red in the face. "Yeesssss~?"

"You! I have a bone to pick with you!"

Ron sighed, "I'm not sure if I want to interfere or not…"

"You got Alan PREGNANT!"

Ronald watched at the silver hair man giggled, patting Eric on the head. "…Nope. I'd rather at least get some baby shopping done…Eric's not going to be helping, now…" he sighed.

Alan jogged over from the doors, having been talking to a clerk about baby gift ideas when he was interrupted by Eric's outburst, "What are you telling him?" he gasped.

"Heheheheheheh~ Your dear brother here is accusing me of putting a seed in your belly~!" the Undertaker giggled, Eric fuming before him.

"Of course ya did! I know it!" he bellowed.

Alan sighed, "We came here to shop for _your_ baby, Eric. Though today seems the day everyone has done so…" he glanced at Grell, "Where's Ron?"

"Back there with Will" the redhead gestured, looking through a desplay of paint color tags. "You are looking a little chubby, Alan."

"I am not! You are just letting him get to your head!" he looked at his lover, "Stop telling people I'm carrying a child!"

"But dearest, it is true!" the elder only grinned wider.

"Don't listen to him, Eric." Alan said, rolling his eyes and turning to go join William and Ronald.

Eric sputtered, following his younger brother. William glanced over the pair with a frown. "Humphries, have you been to the doctor?" he asked, though the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Why would I? Nothing has happened to require me to do so." Alan shrugged, "Undertaker's been on a baby kick ever since Ronald started showing."

"I can see that... though Grell is right. You have put a bit on around the waist."

"Would everyone stop trying to make me pregnant?"

"He's had morning sickness for the past month, and he still tries to deny it~!" Undertaker laughed, saunter over with Grell.

"I have not! It's those cookies of yours you bake!"

"Which you barely have been touching, sweetness! He also craves Greek foods~!" The man said, with much delight. "I haven't cook such things in decades!"

"I'm not pregnant!" Alan snapped, then sighed, cradling his head as a headache started coming on.

"..Sounds like it to me…you can have my maternity dresses once you start getting too big for your pants." Ron offered with a teasing grin.

"Oh don't you start, too!"

"We'll take them, Knoxie! Little flower here looks adorable in them~!" Undertaker laughed. "But, since we are all together, why don't go somewhere nice tonight? Nothing too fancy, just a nice family restaurant - I'm sure Knoxie would enjoy having some company other than the smelly lion here~!"

"OI!"

Ronald laughed, "I'd like that…for things to feel like they had been before…"

Eric couldn't hide the almost sad smile from his face, as he reached out to take his lover's hand. "C'mere..."

Ronald looked up at Eric and leaned against him, "…Well, not exactly the same as it had been…"

Eric nodded, giving a gentle pat to Ronald's belly. "Better than before" he smiled, kissing the blond's hair.

"Come on, lets finish getting things for the baby first." He held up the stuffed lion to show Eric, "William said the courts are starting to sway towards letting me keep my baby."

Eric grinned at lion, and then even more at the announcement. "I told ya it'll get better, love" he chuckled, holding up a glass bottle with a seal painted on it. "Sad thing is, most of there stuff is by Funtom..."

Ronald frowned, "…As long as the owner and his butler doesn't show up while we are shopping…"

"Like now?" a cool voice interject behind them.

Ronald stiffened and jumped with a startled noise.

"It seems we all chose the wrong day to do this for Ronald…" Alan sighed.

"Indeed. Such a surprise I should see you wandering about the Mortal Realm, unarmed~" Sebastian added the last bit with a light smirk. "Loose too many souls to be welcomed back into your world, or has being around filth like this degraded you to such a level of atrocity?"

Ronald slipped behind Eric, biting his lip.

"Oh, don't you dare look so smug! This is all your fault, Sebby!" Grell growled, "You know exactly what you did to Ronnie!"

"Oh, indeed I do... Such a pitiful little mouse. Took the cheese and got caught in the trap" Sebastian smirked. "How is the little one faring?" His eyes glowed pink, as he vanished, appearing right behind Ronald, holding a knife to his throat.

"RON!" Eric whirled around, summoning his scythe.

Ronald whimpered, hugging his growing belly.

Alan summoned his scythe, pointing it at the demon's neck, "You have no right to touch him!"

"On the contrary, Reaper, I do..." The butler's other hand slipped lower, resting on the baby bump, glowing a light red. "Especially the little o-" He frowned as his hand was suddenly pushed away with much force, the baby attack in attempt to fend him off, wanting to defend its mother.

Ronald grunted in pain from the force of the kick, "Shh, shh…it's okay, little one…" he tried to sooth the baby, "You have no right to my baby!" he glared at Sebastian.

Sebastian, however, glared, a darkness overcoming him. Taking Ronald, he threw him across the store, dark feathers beginning to surround him. "So... you side with the grey... Very well, then. You shall go down with the filth that is your mother!" He took flight, morphing from the butler he was normally seen as to a giant bird-like monster.

Ronald cried out in pain, his back letting off a loud, painful crack.

Screams sounded as shoppers and workers began to flee the shop.

Eric had begun to engage in a fight with Sebastian, his scythe clashing with the demon's claws. The monster snarled, his eyes suddenly gleaming. Vanishing, it reappeared behind Alan, grabbing him and lifting him high up into the air. "If I can't hurt him like that, then you'll have to do" he hissed, his hand tracing patterns over Alan's abdomen. "Yours is still growing... perhaps a little tainting will be of some fun?" He smirked down at Eric, of whom had froze on spot as Sebastian looked to the right, smirking as a bookcase began to teeter close to Ronald. "What are you going to do, Reaper? You can only save one. So who will it be? The brunet with the baby... or the blond with the baby? Either way, one dies…and there is nothing you can do!"

"You," Undertaker's more serious tone echoed through the store, his scythe manifesting itself at Sebastian's neck, "Have made the most unfortunate mistake at laying a hand on _my_ lover, Michaelis."

Sebastian smirked. "I thought you would come..." he smirked, tossing Alan through the glass ceiling with much force. "Consider this payback for the Campania!" Eric raced towards Ronald, grabbing him and sliding across the floor as the bookcase came down, barely missing them by three inches. "Ronnie! Sweetheart, talk to me!"

"I—I can't move…" Ron gasped.

Undertaker abandoned the demon to catch Alan, holding him close.

Grell's chainsaw was roaring, but William was holding him back, wanting to keep the fight a little more in control to keep things in their favor.

"Ssshhh, shhh, it's alrigh', I'm here-"

A loud screech sounded from the roof, a large spider crawling about. Sebastian looked up, an odd crooning sound rumbling from his throat.

"Eric—the baby isn't moving, either…" Ron choked out, worried.

Eric paled, his hand flying to Ronald's belly - like the blond said, he felt nothing. "Baby? Alex?" he said, gently prodding the bump, hoping for a sign, anything to show that their child was alive.

"Why isn't she moving?" Ron whimpered.

Eric bit his lip, moving to rest his head against bump, hugging it carefully. "Please, baby... Please..."

Behind him, he heard the shouts and yells of his coworkers and friends fighting, screeches and inhumane cries flying about, but at the moment, he could care less, even when the Undertaker came and set Alan down beside them for safety.

Alan seemed to be in shock, looking down at himself—his belly. Even the demon thought he was pregnant?

Eric bit back a whimpered, trying desperately to get the baby to move. Just as he was about to give up, he felt a weak nudge against his arm. Alert, he glanced down, sighing in relief as he felt another small foot push gingerly against his cheek. "Oh, thank Rhea..."

Ronald let out a relieved sigh and closed his eyes. "Why…why'd he have to come back?"

"—Eric! Look out!" Grell's voice yelled out in warning as a sticky spiders web shot forward, latching onto Ronald's shoulder and yanking him upwards.

Eric snarled, grabbing onto Ronald's leg as he shot up, readying his scythe. Then he saw the cieling and his eyes widened; a least a hundred white spheres the size of beach balls, some starting to shiver. Spider eggs. "Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin'!" he snapped, moving to cut the thread in half with his scythe.

Another bit of web shot at Eric, catching his arm and yanking him away from Ronald, then more, attaching him to the wall.

"Ngh!" Eric cursed, struggling to get free. "Fuck! Ronald!"

"Eric!" Ronald found himself in the clutches of a giant spider with glowing golden eyes, webbing wrapping around his entire body. Grell, William, and Undertaker were all also trapped in the spiders web.

Sebastian flew up, landing with ease on the web, purring slightly as he nuzzled against the giant spider, of whom made a loud clicking noise. Leaving the victims entangled, the arachnid scuttled over to the nest of eggs, clicking again as about a dozen shook violently, cracks appearing in the shells. Eric paled, now fully understanding the reason behind the capture. They were food. Cursing again, he wiggling about, yanking and tugging at the threads holding him down, trying to loosen them.

Ron, his head still showing, glared at Sebastian, "Why won't you leave me alone? You never loved me; why do all this?"

"Why? Well, it is very simple, little Reaper..." he drew up alongside the blond, placing a hand on the bump that of his belly, feeling the baby fighting against him again. "It is mating season - I needed a host to carry my young; as you can see, my lover-" He gestured towards the spider. "Is incapable of producing anything but other spiders, nor is he the submissive type..." Claude growled as if to prove a point. "Any attempt of ours, ends in failure... But I, being of noble blood, need an heir that is a legitimate crow breed, not a spider unfortunately. So, I had to find other means... but this one..." He spat at the child trying to beat him away from its mother. "...Is obvious more Reaper than anything else, and of no use to me now... so..." He smiled as the sound of eggs breaking and loud shrieks arose. "You will prove me better use as food for the newborns instead."

"No!" Ronald gasped, seeing a leg of a baby spider emerge from a nearby egg.

The egg was suddenly cut in half, the spider falling to the floor, curled up around itself, legs twitching Alan landed next to the dead spider, "This is further proof you aren't the father of Ronald's baby…willing to kill the child you put in him!" he twirled his scythe around and ran at Eric, cutting him down, then doing the same for William before having to cut down another hatching baby spider.

Claude shrieked, galloping towards Alan, fangs extended with a deadly poison. Sebastian snarled, about to add his attack when a saw sliced his arm clean off, his screech louder than thunder.

Ronald was dropped, and he gasped as he fell from high above, down to the overturned shelves of children's toys.

"Ron!" Alan gasped, wanting to go help, but having to fend off Claude, slicing through one of his many legs.

Eric leapt away from the crow, managing to catch Ronald before he hit the ground, landing on his back once again. A flash of black as William moved to face off against Sebastian, who decided halfway through to switch with Claude, the spider attacking the stoic Reaper from behind as Grell worked with Alan to fend the crow off.

Undertaker, breaking free, hurried over to Eric, "Get Ron and Alan out of here. we'll handle the demons—just make sure to get them to safety." He said, "Alan may be stubborn though—but he is pregnant."

Eric nodded, shifting his hold on Ronald so he could cradle him with one arm, leaping up to pull Alan away, leaving Grell to face Sebastian alone. "Ya know where ta find me" he said to the Undertaker, wincing as he caught sight of William being mauled by the overly aggressive spider. "Spears!" More shrieks sounds, at least three quaters of the spider eggs hatching, the newborns scurrying about towards their parents.

"Get them out to safety!" Undertaker repeated, dropping down onto Claude's back, hooking his scythe around his neck.

Eric nodded, running out of the store with Alan and Ronald in his arms. Gaining distance, he jumped when a loud crash sounded, turning his head in time to see Claude managing to weakly gallop away, an unconscious William wrapped up in silk in his mouth. "Spears!" He made to go after them, before remembering the two pregnant Reapers in his charge. Pushing his worries aside, he turned and continued on, making a portal towards his house, trusting the Undertaker to handle the situation.

Alan wiggled, "Eric! I can help them—what are you doing?"

"Yer not goin' anywhere, 'specially back there!" Eric growled. "Yer only gonna put yer baby in danger!" He unlocked the door to the house, slipping inside before locking it tight, doing the same to all the locks in the house. Reaper eyed him nervously when he entered the stables, Scythe sleeping next to her obliviously; Eric gave her nod, her answer being that of a short whinny.

Heading upstairs, he made for his and Ronald's bedroom, flicking on the light before setting both the blond and brunet down upon the mattress of the unmade bed.

"But I'm…not…" Alan muttered.

Ronald was pale moaning as he, still caught in spiders silk, was laid out on the bed.

"Ya are!" Eric snapped, his temper flaring, carefully cleaning the blond of the silk, peppering Ronald's face with kisses. "Sweetie, I'll be right back with some medicine..." He ran out of the room for a moment.

Alan moved over, letting Ronald's head rest on his lap, "You look horrible—how's the baby?"

"I—don't know…it moves sometimes…a little…"

Eric came back a moment later, a bottle in his hand and two of Ronald's nightgowns slung over his arm. "'Ere, give 'im this" he handed the bottle to Alan, gently stripping his lover of his dress.

Alan nodded and coaxed Ronald into drinking a dose of the medication, glancing down as the dress was stripped off Ron's body, "Eric—What's that?" he asked, nodding to a glowing red mark on his lower side next to a large bruise spreading across the boy's back.

Eric followed his eyes for a moment, then cursed loudly. "SHIT!" He raced out of the room again, into the storage area. Why hadn't he discovered this sooner?! He should have known better - how else could the beast have found them?! He swore, rummaging about. "Where the fuck is it...?!" he hissed, cutting his arm on a sharp edge of a crate before spotting his prize; a rather old, emerald book, symbols doting the front. Grabbing it, he raced back upstairs, his heart pounding in his chest.

Alan was hugging Ronald to him, petting his hair in a rather motherly fashion. He looked up at Eric as he came back, "Ronald fell asleep…"

"Good... Cause this ain' gonna feel pleasant..." the man said, slamming the book down on the nightstand before flipping through it.

"You'll need to take him to the infirmary, too…he said he still can't move…I think he's seriously injured."

"I know... But we can't do anything until I know the others have handled the problem... I'm going to call for a doctor to come from the Realm... get 'im to teleport here. It's safer; in the meantime, I'm going to put a seal on tha' damn mark..."

"What kind of mark is it? I don't recognize it at all…"

"'S a demon's mark, one they use to track prey..." Eric growled, pausing in his reading. "Ha! 'Ere it is... Keep 'im still, this is gonna hurt quite a fair bit."

"…But it won't harm the baby?" Alan asked, looking up at Eric, "It's safe, right?"

"Yeah... It ain' gonna harm either o' them, jus' gonna hurt fer Ron because the mark is welded into his body" Eric reassured, removing his gloves and rubbing his bare hands together.

Alan nodded, holding Ronald down to the bed firmly, "Just tell me if you need me to do more."

Eric shook his head, moving to the bedside, placing his bare palm upon the mark and beginning to chant.

Ronald began to whimper as Eric chanted, his upper body beginning to fight Alan's hold.

Eric's chanting got louder and louder, as the mark changed from a bright red to a cool blue. A searing pain shot up Eric's arm, but the man ignored it as best he could, gritting his teeth and baring through it.

Ron screamed, his eyes shooting open.

"Shhh, shh, It's okay, Ronnie…it's okay." Alan soothed.

Eric chanted the last verse, and the mark glowed a bright white, throwing the man back into the wall.

"Eric, you alright?" Alan called out as he tried calming Ronald.

"Ugh... Yeah..." he groaned. Rising to his feet, he staggered over, grinning at the sight of the now white mark on Ronald's back, a similar one of his own on his arm.

"Good, Ron needs you." Alan finally got Ronald to stop screaming, laying him down on the bed again, "Ronnie…it's okay…"

"What—why..?" Ronald panted.

"Tha' bastard marked ya, it's how he found us in the store..." Eric grunted, rubbing the blond's side comfortingly.

Ron whimpered and moved to hug Eric from where he lay.

"Shhh... 'S alrigh', little one... I sealed the mark... 'E can't come after ya now, not as long as I'm still alive..." He held up his arm, showing off the mark. "This is proof - if yer ever in danger, all ya have ta do is call an' I'm there." He kissed the boy's temple, smiling when he felt the baby kick lightly against his hand. "I'm going to call a doctor from the Realm... In the meantime, get changed, Al... yer clothes are torn ta shreds."

Alan crossed his arms, "Does Ronald have anything I could borrow?"

"…I have a few suits hanging in the back of the closet…" Ron muttered.

Alan nodded and stood up, walking over to the closet and opening the door. "…I want to go make sure Undertaker, Grell, and Spears are all alright."

"No" Eric said without hesitation, picking up the phone. "I ain' lettin' ya go out there again. It's too dangerous."

"I'll be fine, Eric. You know I can fight—and my lover is back there."

"Tha' ain' the point!" Eric finished the phone call in haste, before turning to the brunet. "Fer fuck sakes, yer pregnant! Ya go back there, yer baby's in danger, not jus' ya! An' Undertaker told me 'imself ta bring ya ta safety."

Alan fell silent and looked away, "…You don't understand…I _can't_ be pregnant, Eric…"

Eric rubbed his temples with an irritated sigh. "Alan... the evidence is there. Wha' more do ya need ta convince ya? Yer pukin', yer moody, ya have cravin's - I've seen it a' work, now tha' I think abou' it; an', yer gettin' chubby!"

"No, I mean I can't be! I'm sick, Eric. You know that as much as anyone. I'm sick and if I'm pregnant…If I have a child, my child _will_ have Thorns, too."

"There's no guarantee o' tha', ya know tha' Al! Thorns ain' hereditry, ya got 'em from an accident on a mission!" He walked over, placing his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "Alan... ya can' keep denyin' wha's true... Wha' are ya gonna do five months from now when yer stomach's the size of a pumpkin an' ya can barely fit into yer trousers!"

Alan looked up at him, eyes swimming in tears, "I can't give a child Thorns…they are growing inside me, Eric…all they have to do is touch the baby and infect it while its in me… Can you imagine? A baby having an attack…"

"Alan, stop it" Eric said, rather firmly. "Tha' won't happen, ya know it's impossible. The Thorns aim fer their host's heart, not their unborn children. It doesn't care about the baby - and in any case, the baby is restin' in a womb - they can't break through tha' or it'd kill the baby an' ya instantly." He knew he wasn't making matters anymore reassuring for the brunet, but it was a general fact.

"I can't risk it!" Alan shouted, "I can't handle loosing another one!"

Eric froze, his grip on Alan's shoulder tightening a smidge. "Wha'?!"

Alan looked away and took a deep breath, "…I was pregnant before, Eric…with…with your child…back when you were collecting souls…I was going to tell you—but then we found out what you were doing and…" he trailed off, biting his lip, "But I miscarried…during one of my attacks, the baby was lost…"

Eric's world seemed to freeze, time stopping all around him, his mind numbing over. He was originally going to be a father? When he was with Alan? Alan never-

"You never told me..." he said, his voice oddly cold, hardened. "All this damn time..."

"How could I? With everything that had been happening at the time…how could I? And then you broke your promise—again…and then I found out the baby had died… It had been easier to pretend it hadn't happened!"

"IT DOESN' MATTER!" Eric bellowed, his expression one of pure rage and fury. "I HAD A RIGH' TA KNOW! A FUCKIN' RIGH'! ALL THIS DAMN TIME, I KEEP THINKIN' I NEVER HAD A DAMN CHANCE, WHEN YA WERE HIDIN' THIS BEHIND M' BACK!"

Alan took a step back, his eyes wide, "Eric—I…"

But Eric snarled. "Dun... Dun even try ta make an excuse Alan! I can see how it is now- I fuckin' risk m' life, m' reputation, everything fer ya! An' wha' is it fer? Nothin'! FUCKIN' NOTHIN'! EVERYTHIN' I DID WAS FER A WASTE! I try m' damn hardest fer ya, an' because yer so fuckin' concerned fer yer own damn morales, I become nothin' ta ya! An' dun even bother ta excuse tha' - ye've told me at least a hundred times now! Know wha', I get it - because I do one thin', I ain' good enough fer ya! So you look fer better, meanwhile I'm stuck ta suffer fer somethin' tha' went ta waste! An' now, I find out I could have had a chance! But ya think it's 'better' ta pretend 'we never existed'. Ya know wha' Al? Yer selfish, a selfish ungrateful prick!"

"It's not like that!" Alan pleaded, "I never pretended we were never together—Eric, I loved you, and you know that! We were going to leave together! Remember? Start our own life away from the reaper realm—until you had to go try getting that 'last soul' after you said you wouldn't! You caused me to leave you, Eric."

"Oh, yeah, I fuckin' remember!" Eric snapped. "I also fuckin' remember ya decidin' ta leave because ya were too high strung ta deal with me! I broke yer damn promise - so wha'?! I did it because I cared, I did because I loved you, with all m' heart! But none o' tha' matters now! Ya choose ta leave, because ya felt I couldn' be trusted... jus' like ya felt I couldn' be trusted ta know the truth. Never did it occur ta ya how much pain ya've caused me - it's you I can't trust anymore. Scythe, I dunno wha' ever saw in ya." He turned on his heel, marching over to the bed; sitting on the edge, he smiled slightly at Ronald, though his eyes bore much pain, sorrow and anger. "Sorry ya have ta witness this, love..." he murmured, pecking the boy on the cheek before rising again, heading for the door.

"I was protecting you! I know I broke your heart when I left you—think of how much more you would have been hurt if I told you I had been pregnant but our baby died? I was trying to…Uhg, forget it!" Alan turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door shut.

Ronald took a shaky breath, looking down at his pregnant belly.

Eric snarled, storming out after him.

"Er-ic..?" Ronald reached out, but his lover disappeared, leaving him alone… Eric had almost been a father…an actual father…what if suddenly, his baby wasn't enough for Eric? What if Eric started to reject him and the baby a demon had put in him? Ron whimpered at the thought and pulled his pillow over his head.

Downstairs, Alan was at the door, unlocking it and tugging it open.

Eric barely glanced at him as he stormed past to the kitchen. "Ass. I hope ya drown in yer disease out there!"

"Shut up!" Alan snapped, slamming the door shut behind him and disappearing into the early evening.

"Good riddance!" Eric shot back, as loud as he could, pulling out a couple of vegetables from the fridge, half waiting for the doctor to arrive.


	11. Rain

**Torn Apart **

**Chapter 11**

Roughly fifteen minuets after Alan had stormed out, the doctor arrived, looking over Ronald's condition. His news, however, was not so good once he finished. Ronald's spine had been fractured in a few places, and with his pregnancy, it put him at high risk of further injury that would paralyze him from the waist down. So, He had portaled back to the infirmary and retrieved a wheel chair for Ronald to use, and taught Eric how to help Ron in and out of the chair in the safest way possible. He didn't want Ronald attempting it on his own while with child. He finished his visit with an over-all check up on the baby's health, and leaving once he was satisfied the child was perfectly fine, if not startled by what his or her mother's body had been through.

Ronald sat in his chair in silence, looking out the sitting room window.

Eric walked over, just as the clock chimed ten at night, a tray containing a bowl of stew in his hands. Setting down on the sill, he knelt before the blond, leaning forward to embrace his belly, resting his head against it. It had started to pour freezing rain, the latter of which showed a rise to early winter. Eric had a fire going in the hearth by the window, the whole house warm and cozy.

Yet, something was not right - Ronald was oddly silent, and Alan had not returned since he left. Eric knew from various past experiences that Alan had a horrible sense of direction in the countryside, and had more than once gotten lost when he went to visit Eric - when he used to, that is. But at the moment, Eric was too put off to even care an ounce about the brunet - right now, all he cared about was making sure Ronald was alright.

Ronald didn't say anything, continuing to look out the window as the rain hit it, distorting the little light that shown outside, catching it in the small drops of water running down the pane.

"Wha's wrong, sweetie?" Eric voiced after a moment, moving up to press a kiss to the blond's lips.

"…You were…almost a father before…" Ron said, his voice a low whisper.

Eric frowned, tilting the boy's head to look at him. "... Listen ta me. I had no idea about tha' nor will it change anythin'. As far as I'm concerned, I have no relation towards Alan - especially after tha'. All tha' matters ta me now, is us - ya an' mousie." He gave a fond smile to the blond, before starting to tease the unborn baby.

"But…no matter what you are the baby's adoptive father…It's not the same…"

"It doesn' matter... It's still m' baby, an' I love ya. Nothin' is ever gonna change tha'."

"But what if you could have a baby—one that's yours like you almost had?" He finally turned from the window, looking down at Eric with wet eyes.

"I jus' said it didn' I? No matter wha' happens... I'll always be little Alex 'r Anna's Daddy... nothin' is ever gonna change tha', jus' like how nothin' is gonna change how much ya mean ta me, Ronnie." He kissed the bump, nuzzling it contently.

"…You used to say the same kind of things to Alan…didn't you?"

"...No... Because I never had ta...It dun matter. 'E's a righ' ass an' an eejit - I jus'... I didnae see it until now... How 'e treats me, like I'm some kind o' stupid eejit... How little 'e cared... Wha' I went through fer 'im... All fer nothin'. An' wha' shows, he ain' even sorry - everythin' is alrigh' fer 'im so long as 'e's got it good, never mind if someone else suffers... I was a fool to love a fool, Ronnie. 'S all there is to-" He broke off as something slid off his cheek, blinking a small tear spot appeared on Ronald's nightdress.

Ronald swallowed and cupped Eric's face, again saying nothing as he looked into his eyes. They may be hurt…but Eric still had feelings for the brunet. It was obvious.

Eric turned his head, kissing Ronald's palm. "I love ya..." He yawned. "C'mon, let's get ya fed an' ta bed - I made beef stew fer ya."

Ron nodded and let Eric wheel him over to the table where a bowel sat waiting for him. He wasn't feeling all that hungry, but he knew Eric wouldn't let him not eat.

Lightning flashed outside the windows, moments later followed by a roll of thunder in the distance.

Eric sat with him, stroking his hair, making sure he ate through the bowl before taking it back to the kitchen.

Ronald sighed and looked up at the ceiling, the thunder drawing closer.

Eric came back, wheeling him to the stairs before lifting him carefully into his arms, carrying him to bed. He pecked the blond's cheek, murmuring soft words of comfort to him.

The younger blond looked up at Eric, "Are you coming to bed with me?"

Eric nodded, slipping off his shirt, climbing in next to the boy and wrapping his arms carefully around him.

Ron smiled, snuggling up into him and closing his eyes.

Eric chuckled, cradling him against his chest until he was certain the blond had fallen asleep. He tried to rest himself, but something was nipping at the corner of his mind; an old worry for a certain brunet. He brushed it off, trying to ignore it, his distaste against the man trying to win over the nagging worry and concern welling in his heart. "Oh, fuck it..." he growled in irritation, carefully detangling himself from Ronald, pecking the blond gently on the cheek. "I'll be back soon, Ronnie..." Swiftly moving out of the room, he headed downstairs, grabbing his coat as he went out the door, leaving his bracelet on the empty hook. "Fuck it if my fickle heart still cares."

Alan was shivering, hunched over at the base of a large tree in a feeble attempt at escaping the weather. The rain soaking his shredded suit. He was lost—again. He should have known better than to leave like he had alone. He had the worst sense of direction outside of London. But he'd just been so upset! He hadn't meant to let Eric find out…He had wanted to protect him from that painful truth…from the pain of knowing he had a child who never made it… He hadn't expected Eric to react the way he had, though…so angry. Alan had never seen Eric so upset before—at him, that was.

Freezing rain water hid his tears as it ran down his face, a rough cough ripping from his chest, making his throat feel raw.

Eric cursed, tripping over a tree root for the second time in a row. He'd looked all over the house, the yard, even by the pond, but had yet to find any sign of Alan. The brunet couldn't have wandered far; pregnant Reapers couldn't teleport on their own, and Alan was completely lost with directions whenever he was out of the capital city. Which left one other option; the woods overlooking the back of his home. Stumbling through the pitch black forest, eyes glowing a yellow green in the dark, he held a lantern over his head, trying to peer through the pouring rain. "ALAN!" he shouted over the roar of thunder. "ALAN!"

Alan lifted his head, had he heard his name? He strained to hear anything over the wind and rain, and finally he heard it.

"—LAN! ALAN!"

The brunet, upset as he was, was no idiot. And he responded, "ERIC?"

Eric paused, hearing the voice call out from a couple feet away. Turning, he ran to the left, lightning lighting up the area momentarily to reveal someone huddled at the base of a large redwood. "ALAN?!"

Alan turned, looking at Eric, catching a glimpse of him, "Eric…" he stood up on shaky legs, stumbling over towards him.

Eric moved forward, managing to awkwardly catch the man as he fell against him.

Alan clung to him, shivering, "I…I got lost…I didn't think you'd come looking…"

Eric said nothing at first. "... Blame m' fickle heart tha' I still care fer wha'ever reason.."

"…I'm sorry…" Alan leaned his head against Eric's shoulder, "I thought not telling you would save you from more pain…"

"Hurts more ta be lied ta... an' then thrown away..." the blond murmured, pain lacing his voice.

"I never lied to you! I just…hadn't gotten the chance to tell you yet before I miscarried…"

"Ya lied by not tellin' me afterwards... Ya told me nothin' had happened between us, tha' I had no reason ta be with ya..." he looked away. "Hurts more ta be deceived... makes me wonder now wha' I was ever worth..."

"The baby was already gone…there was no reason to…Eric…I told you why I left you, having a baby with you wouldn't have changed that. I wish it could have been different—it hurt me, too. I loved you. I loved you more than you realize…"

"I tried ta kill m'self" Eric interjected, staring down at the forest floor.

"…What?" Alan snapped his gaze up to Eric's face.

"After ya left, I fell ta pieces. I'd lost the one thin' in m' life tha' gave me reason - everything, the hatred towards me, the pressure, the pain... it was too much. Nothin' matter anymore... think o' it like this, how ya feel if I had threw ya away the momen' I learned ya had the Thorns? Because ya weren't 'the reaper ya used ta be'? Tha's how I felt... It got too much one night and..." He tilted his head to the side, lifting his hair to reveal a deep scar on his neck, jagged and indenting the skin a bit. "I tried everythin', pills, drinkin', injury... But this was the final point - I tried ta behead m'self with m' own dirtied scythe..."

Alan reached up and ran his fingers along the scar, feeling the sting of guilt as the rain soaked them further, "…What brought you back?"

"...Ronald. 'E found me tha' nigh', drunk as all 'ell, but sober enough ta win me over. I'm not made o' pure stone... as much as people believe. M' heart breaks an' beats jus' as much as any other, but no one seemed ta see it. Only Ron; 'e told me, '_I'd miss Senpai the most if 'e died... I'd died with 'im_.' I dunno wha' it was... but I think... I had reason again ta live after tha'. Still, doctor put me in hospital fer a month an' diagnosed me with severe depression, put me on meds fer it... still takin' 'em. Bu' Ronald didn' remember…the damn drinks washed all his memories o' that night away an' I was alone again… Then 'e fell ta that beast…I didn' know 'e had bu I started drinkin' again…"

Alan pulled away, nodding, "…I'm sorry…"

Eric shivered, glancing back towards the house. "'S best we head back... Ron's probably worried an' yer freezin'..." He shed his coat, torso bare to the icy weather as he draped it over Alan's shiverin' form.

Alan nodded, walking back through the trees with the Scotsman.

-x-

Meanwhile, Ronald had awoken to an empty bed, and after calling out for Eric without a response, he maneuvered his way out of the bed and into his chair, wheeling himself carefully down to the main floor, almost loosing himself a few times on the stairs. It didn't take him long to spot the bracelet hanging on the hook by the door.

Eric had left him? To do what? Go after Alan, maybe?

Feeling doubt slip back in, Ronald threw open the door and wheeled out, working through the mud to the stables. Reaper and Scythe usually helped calm him when he was upset, which happened more often with his mood swings.

Eric came back with Alan, and after a quick call to the doctor for a late house call, he began running a hot bath for the brunet. On the way back, they had stumbled across a small sodden kitten, of which Eric had taken pity and brought inside with him. Said animal was now drying off on the bathroom counter, purring up a storm. Eric smiled, thinking of giving the cat to Ronald as a gift - it would be better company than being alone in the small room at work. Stripping Alan of his soaked clothes, he helped him into the bath.

Alan slipped into the bath with a sigh, "…I could have done this myself…you don't have to take care of me, Eric…"

Eric ignored him, beginning to help wash him. "'S in m' nature ta take o' others... I guess..." he mumbled.

"…And what would Ronald say about this? He's your lover now…not me."

With a sigh, Eric put down the sponge, standing with a grunt. His back, though healing, was still tender, and all the fighting and moving about he'd done that day had made him sore and tired. Moving to the medicine cabinet, he opened it before pulling out a bottle of pills- his medication. Taking two into the palm of his hand, he moved to swallow them.

Alan turned away, sinking down in the water until it reached his chin, "…I never wanted to hurt you that badly, Eric…"

"Jus'... Never mind. Wha's done is done, an' nothin' can change it... Jus' gotta thrive." He swallowed the pills dry, grimacing at the bad taste in his mouth. "Ugh... I hate pills..."

Alan winced and looked down. "…Ronald's good for you… maybe he can help you not need them anymore…"

"Dunno..." Eric shook his head with a sigh. "Been on 'em fer too long... Doc says I'll be lucky if I dun need 'em in a couple o' years... If I dun take 'em, I'm lost in darkness. Became too damn dependent on 'em... Besides, so long as I can help Ronnie come out of his darkness, 's all tha' matters ta me. Couldn' handle m' sweetheart fallin' into the same hole I have..."

"Does he know?" Alan asked.

"No... I dun wanna tell 'im. 'E has enough ta worry about. Besides, I've been doin' fine on m' own" Eric glanced at himself in the mirror, seeing shadows under his eyes and hollowed cheeks upon a pale face.

"Funny…I thought the same thing when I chose to not tell you about the miscarriage." Alan commented, "You aren't doing fine, Eric. Let Ronald take care of you sometimes."

Hearing the subject being brought up again, Eric tensed, his hands tightly gripping the edge of the counter. Then, he went limp, body slackening in defeat, head lowered in a tired fashion.

"We didn't work out…because we didn't trust each other enough…don't make that mistake again…not with Ronnie." Alan added before falling silent.

Eric said nothing, just closed his eyes.

"…You should go back to him…I'll be fine. I'll stay here, warm up, and then settle down on the couch…"

"No... Ya take the bed with Ronnie. Doctor will murder me otherwise an' so will yer lover... Doc already gave me shit fer puttin' Ron on the couch fer the first few months o' his pregnancy..."

Walking towards the door, Eric opened it with a creak. "Doctor should be here soon ta look over ya... There's also some food fer ya downstairs too... An' make sure she doesn' drown." He gestured towards the kitten, playing happily with a spare empty pill container.

Leaving the brunet alone, Eric traveled back down the hall towards the bedroom, pushing open the door. "Ron?"

The room was lit with the small lamp on the night stand on Ronald's side of the bed, which lay empty. His wheel chair missing from where it had been sitting nearby.

Eric paled, darting into the room, looking about; nothing. Racing out, he began searching the halls and extra rooms on the upper hall. Again, nothing. An awful feeling of dread arose in the depths of Eric's chest. It spread like poison, dripping into his blood and veins; he felt cold, his skin clammy, his heart pounding in terror and panic against his ribs. Moving to work the doorknob of another room, he found that he couldn't even grasp it, his hands shaking too much. Why was he shaking? He couldn't think, couldn't breathe - why? What was happening to him? He slammed against the wall, chest hacking and struggling to work his lungs, alarm bells going off in his head. All he knew was that Ronald was gone, and he couldn't find him anywhere...

Alan slipped out of the bath, changing into one of Ronald's pajamas and walking out in time to see Eric slam into the wall, "Eric!" he hurried forward, "Eric—what's wrong?"

Eric shivered, his eyes terrified and wide when he looked at Alan, not even recognizing him. His skin was whiter than a ghost, cold and clammy to the touch, drenched in a cold sweat. He stuttered, unable to form a complete coherent sentence in his panicked state. "Ronald... gone... Can't find..."

Alan stooped down next to him, brushing his hair out of his face, "Eric…he can't be far…he has that court-issued collar, right? He can't go far without you knowing."

"I took m' bracelet o-off..." he gasped out, feeling his chest tighten. He had to calm, relax and stop to think...

"…Where did you put it?" Alan asked, feeling the situation was getting a little more serious. What if Sebastian had showed up?

"C-Coat... h-han-ger..." Eric coughed, his hand flying to his heart, face turning a shade of red.

"I'll be right back." Alan stood up and ran down to the coat rack, finding the bracelet hanging there untouched. He grabbed it and ran back up to Eric, "He can't be far…it's still here, and it hasn't been activated…he's still within range."

Eric merely coughed, trying to ease himself back into breathing.

"Eric—it's okay. I'll help you find him…" Alan slipped the bracelet around Eric's wrist again, "—I know I hurt you, Eric…but you can trust me when I say I'll help find him."

"Jus'... lemme... b-breathe..."

Alan nodded and kissed Eric's temple, "I'll look over the rest of the house for him. Join in when you have calmed down a little." He stood up and started to head to the kitchen first, pausing a few feet away, "Eric…We may not be lovers anymore…but I do still love you…" he looked back over his shoulder, "Undertaker's right when he calls you my brother…and I hope you can forgive me one day…" he then hurried down the stairs.

Eric slowly let his heart calm, his nerves relaxing as his breathing returned, easing him out after a couple of minutes. Staggering to his feet, he stumbled down the stares, ready to continue his search for Ronald.

Alan finished searching the main floor and found Eric again, "…You don't think…he went outside, do you?"

"'S possible..." Eric groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Damnit..."

"…Come on." Alan grabbed two umbrellas from by the door and handed one to Eric, "Is there any places he likes to go? Like, when he's upset? Or feeling down? He's been through a lot today, maybe seeing Sebastian again was too much for him…"

"...The stables..." Eric half murmured in realization, taking off like a bullet into the rains, forgetting the umbrella. Pushing open the doors, he felt his heart leap at the sight of a familiar figure curled up in the hay with his horses. "RONALD!"

Ronald blinked, moaning in discomfort as he pushed himself up to look at Eric, blinking sleepily as he had dozed off. Straw was caught in his blond hair and he rubbed his eyes, "…Eric..?"

Rushing forward, Eric collapsed beside his lover, Reaper sniffing his hair as he scooped the blond into a careful but loving hug.

Ron leaned into him, "…You were gone…" he muttered in his sleepy tone.

"I know... 'M sorry love. I had to go out an' save Alan from freezin' ta death... But I'm back now, sweetheart..." he peppered the blond's face with kisses. "You scared the daylights outta me... Why did you leave the room? Is everythin' alrigh'?"

"…Was lonely…and upset…I think it was a mood swing…" Ron hugged Eric, "I started thinking you wanted Alan back again…so I came out here to be with Reaper and Scythe…I guess I fell asleep…I'm sorry I worried you…" he paused, "I had a strange dream, though…"

Eric tilted the boy's head up, giving him a deep and passionate yet gentle kiss, letting him know that he was very much loved and wanted, and the only thing desired by Eric's heart. "Wha' did ya dream about?" he rumbled softly, pulling away with a comforting smile after a moment.

"…The babies…" Ron muttered, "Ours…and Alan's…that they disappeared…and no one but I remembered them…"

Eric frowned, gently rubbing the boy's back.

Ron hugged his belly, "…It was so….surreal and frightening…"

Eric hushed the mother. "Shhh... I'm here... It was jus' a dream, love..." He gently lifted Ronald back into his chair, wheeling him to the front of the barn after patting Reaper and Scythe on the necks. "Good girl..." he murmured, the mare whinny in response. "Sleep well."

"….I hate this chair…makes the stairs hard to get down…" Rom muttered.

Alan was waiting on the porch, a look of relief on his face when he saw Eric returning with Ronald, though he frowned at the chair Ronald was in. Had the boy been that injured?

"Fractured spine…" Eric said, answering his unspoken question as he wheeled them inside, now both soaked. "Sorry, love, forgot an umbrella..."

Ron shook his head and shivered, "I got wet going out there because I forgot to grab an umbrella, too…of course it would have been useless with me needing my hands to wheel myself out there…I'm sorry." He offered up a smile.

Alan grabbed two towels and walked over to them, handing each of them one, "I could run another hot bath for the two of you…and yes you, Eric. This is your second time tonight getting soaked like that." He said before sneezing into his hand.

"Annnd ya need tha' doctor... 'E should be here any minute-"

"I'm here now, Mister Slingby. I'm beginning to think you need a live-in doctor." The doctor joked, standing in the still open door, closing his umbrella and shaking it out before stepping inside.

"Rhea! Dun do tha'!" Eric yelled, having nearly jumped out of his skin. "Give Ronnie a wee once over too, jus' ta make sure 'e's fine." He pecked the blond on the head.

"I would have knocked, but your door was open wide." The man grinned, "And I agree with Mister Humphries, please go warm and dry yourselves. While I look over him, and then I'll check over the both of you as well before I take my leave—again."

Eric nodded, heading upstairs to run Ronald and him a hot bath. The doctor took Alan aside into the sitting room to examine him, leaving Ronald alone by the door. Ron sighed and closed the door, waiting for Eric to get him again.

Eric came down after a few minutes, lifting Ronald from the chair and carrying him up to the bath. After settling into the hot water, Eric began trailing kisses all over his lover's collarbone.

The younger let off a soft moan. He loved it when Eric kissed him there. He smiled and leaned back to look at Eric, reaching up to run a wet hand through his hair, "…You look tired…"

"I am... Listen... Ronnie... I-I need ta tell ya somethin' I should've done from the start... an' it ain' abou' Alan, not really..."

Ron nodded, "You can tell me."

Eric took a deep breath before tilting his head, revealing once again the old scar.

It went all the way around the back of his neck.

Ron's eyes widened, "Eric—what…is that a scythe scar? What happened?" he asked, worry in his voice. It was obvious he didn't remember the night he had saved Eric.

Eric nodded before beginning to recount the same tale he had told to Alan just an hour or so earlier.

Ronald stayed silent throughout the story, and when it was over, he pulled himself up to kiss the scar, "…I don't remember doing that…I… But I'm glad I did…" he whispered against the mark.

Eric nodded, gently holding his lover close. "Doctor diagnosed me with depression... Been like tha' ever since. I take medication for it an' it helps but... I still got lonely and lost a' times."

"You have me…well, now you do…and soon you'll have our baby, too…you aren't alone…"

"I know..." Eric smiled at him. "Ronald... Ya saved m' life... 'S more than I can ask fer..."

Ronald moved from his neck, pressing a kiss to his lips, "And I'll save you again and again if needed…"

"I know ya will..." Eric drew him into a heated kiss, gently molding his lips against Ronald's.

The boy's lips twitched into a smile as they kissed, "Promise me one thing, though…no more disappearing on me when I'm sleeping."

"An' no more wanderin' off on me?" Eric grinned in returned.

"No more wandering off." He promised.

"Same fer me" Eric smiled, cradling the blond to his chest.

Ronald snuggled his lover a few more moments before the water started getting colder and he sighed, "Should get out and dressed again…"

Eric nodded, lifting him out of the tub before helping him dress in a fresh nightgown, changing himself into a pair of pajama pants.

Ronald yawned, "we should go to bed soon…it's gotten really late…do we have to get looked at by the doctor…again?"

"Yes" Eric chuckled, carrying the blond back downstairs to where the doctor was busy examining Alan, the brunet lying flat on his back upon the living room floor.

"…You really should have come in to get looked at sooner, Mister Humphries…" The doctor was saying with a sigh, "Especially with your health, and your past…you can't just ignore a pregnancy."

"I told ya!" Eric interjected, setting Ronald into his wheelchair.

"Ah, good, just in time. I just finished with Mister Humphries…Mister Knox, you're next, seeing as you are also heavy with child…"

Ron sighed, holding Eric's hand, "I only got a little wet, is all."

Eric wheeled him over, letting the doctor examine him before attempting to sneak away into the kitchen.

"Don't think you are getting out of this, Mister Slingby. You may not be pregnant, but you were out in the rain. I saw it. And I'd rather not have to come out here a third time tonight." He said, making note of Ronald's temperature.

"Damn it..." Eric grumbled, shuffling back to the living room and plunking his rear into a chair. "How ya feelin', Al?"

Alan stayed on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, "…Horrible…worried…hoping Undertaker and the others are okay…"

Eric nodded, worry welling in his gut as well. "Hope Spears is alrigh'... 'e was carried off by tha' spider, an' I didn' see anyone go after 'im..."

"…Mating season." Ronald spat suddenly, "…That's all I was to him…a tool on the side for mating season because his real lover couldn't give him a real heir…"

"An' then decided ta use us as food fer his fuckin' offspring..." Eric growled. "Shit, I really hope they're okay... Crows are really nasty fer taking off with prey an' eatin' them, slowly an' painfully, an' spiders either wrap 'em in silk, like they did, or-"

"Please!" Alan interrupted, sitting up, "Don't finish that…"

"'S fine, can't even remember the other thin' they do ta victims, other than taintin' and eatin'" Eric sighed, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

"…I wish you had let me stay and fight…it would be better than hoping my lover was alright…" Alan muttered, "…I'm going to bed…wake me if you hear anything from the others."

Eric nodded, frowning when the phone rang. "Give me a momen'..." he said, rising and moving to the kitchen, picking up the receiver on the wall. "It's midnigh', ya eejit!"

"Well, excuse me for checking in on you!" a feminine voice huffed.

"Grell?"

"Of course it is! Unnie and I wanted to make sure you got to safety with Ronnie, Alan, and Will!"

"Yeah, we got back fine... Alan finally knows 'e's pregnant, an' Ronnie's spine is fractured, but the babies are fine... Are ya alrigh'- wait... whaddya mean, 'Will'?"

"…Will left with you…didn't he?" Grell's voice responded after a pause.

"No! I thought ya went after 'im when the spider carried 'im off-"

"…Wait…that spider demon has him?"

"Yes!" Eric had a very bad feeling about this.

"…We'll be right over." Grell said before the line went dead.

Grell...? Grell!" Eric groaned as the sound of the line cutting off met his ears. "Dammit..." Cursing, he hung up the phone, moving back to the living room.

"Who was tha—ow!" Ronald gasped as the doctor gave him a shot when he was distracted with Eric's return to the room, "Warn me next time!"

"You're fine, mister Knox. Now, Mister Slingby…you're next."

"Grell. 'E an' Undertaker are comin' 'ere... Will's still in the hands o' the spider..." Eric said, grimacing as he stood before the doctor to be examined.

"William-senpai is missing?" Ronald asked, eyes wide.

Eric nodded, wincing as the doctor poked and prodded him. "'Ey, watch it!"

The doctor only chuckled, "Just doing my job."

"We're never getting back to sleep…" Ronald complained.

"Don't say that, Knox. You need your rest and don't make me give you doctors orders to stay here at home. Even if your boss is missing."

"I'll put ya ta bed with Alan, then I'll talk with the others. Both o' ya need yer rest, especially with the babies on the way. An' I ain' lettin' Al join in because then 'e will wanna go figh' an' the Undertaker will murder me if 'e gets hurt again."

"You need rest too!" Ron and Alan both said together.

"I'll come join ya after I discuss thin's with Grell and Undertaker, alrigh'? But ya need yer rest more than me - think o' yer little ones!"

"I'll go to bed when you do." Ronald said, wheeling himself closer to Eric, taking his hand, "Just to make sure you don't stay up too long."

"I'll be making sure Undertaker gets his rest as well…Grell too. They have been fighting all day…they can send out a search party for Spears."

Eric nodded, as the doctor finished up, waiting for his analysis just as a knock on the door sounded.

"I'll get it." Ron said, wheeling himself over to the door and opening it to let the two long-haired reapers in.

"Ronnie! What happened to you?!" Grell gasped.

"I'm broken."

"Nice ta see ya got back okay... Can I move now?"

The doctor nodded and stood to leave, "You are perfectly fine…just tired." He looked at Undertaker and Grell, "Before I go should I tend to you two? As I understand it, you have been fighting demons. I should make sure you haven't been infected at least."

"That would a appreciated - we had a fun time destroying spider eggs though~" Undertaker grinned before glancing at his lover. "Hello, my flower~"

"…Honey," Alan stood up and walked over, hugging Undertaker, "…I'm pregnant…"

Undertaker's grin widened, as he wrapped his arm, around the brunet, cascading him with love.

"Sure, _now_ he admits it." Grell sighed, sitting down with the Doctor to get checked out.

Undertaker merely pecked the brunet on the forehead, gently stroking the tiny bump containing their child.

Alan was blushing, "…Which means you're in trouble." He added teasingly.

"Oh no... Whatever shall I do~?" The elder giggled. "How shall thou punish me so, dearest?"

"Couch. And no, couch does not mean coffin."

Undertaker's smile fell to a pout. Eric sniggered, grinning all too happily at the exchange, playing with Ronald's hair.

Ronald leaned into the touch, looking at Grell and Undertaker, "…What happened after we left?"

"Oh, the usual. We plucked a few crow feathers, squashed a few spider eggs…and spiders…"

"Is _he_ still alive?"

"…I think so…"

"Shit..." Eric cursed.

"We were outnumbered, and the baby spiders became more dangerous to us, we were forced to turn our attention to them. And then Sebby disappeared on us." Grell apologized.

"...I have a hunch as ta where 'e went..." Eric paled slightly. "Shit, William... You-" He glanced pointedly at the Undertaker. "Ya should know this better than me...Spiders do three things ta victims, yes? Either wrap 'em in silk an' eat 'em, taint 'em into becoming a spider or... fuck, I dunno the last one!"

"Lay eggs." The silver reaper shrugged, "But he's mated to the crow so I doubt that's a problem. Michaelis is the one needing a child of his own kind…" Undertaker scooped Alan up into his arms and sat down with him on his lap, "As much as I'd hate to say it…Ronald proved capable of carrying a demon child to term. He'd be smarter to try it again with him in his true form than trying a new victim."

"I know... 'S why I sealed the mark 'e left on Little Mouse" Eric growled. "An' replaced it with one o' m' own."

"We'll help you keep your eye out for him." Undertaker nodded.

Eric nodded, yawning tiredly. "So... what are we gonna do 'bout Spears?"

"Easy. We go out looking for him! William-darling and demon's don't mix." Grell said with a shrug, "I placed a call to dispatch; they set up a search party that we can join once we rest up."

"Good...Now, not ta be rude, but we need sleep... an' I'm about ta face plant on Ronnie..."

"Take me with you. I want to go back to sleep." Ronald said, looking up at Eric.

"Of course... Alan?" Eric glanced at the brunet, lifting Ronald into his arms. "Sorry I dun exactly have a guest room... I dun really get visitors tha' often."

"I'll sleep down here with Undertaker." Alan said, slipping his arms around his lover.

Eric nodded, carrying his own lover upstairs. Entering the bedroom, he crossed over to the bed, slipping Ronald under the covers against the wall, climbing in next to him with a sigh. "'S been a hell o' a day..."

Ron nodded, rolling over to curl up into Eric, "I hate shopping." He joked, sleepily.

"We all do... 'Specially if it's with Grell" Eric chuckled, gently rubbing his lover's stomach. "How's little mousie?"

"Moving around…closer to normal." He smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Jus' two more months..." Eric smiled, leaning down to press his lips to the bump. "Mummy an' Daddy can't wait to meet you, little one..."

A small foot kicked up against where Eric kissed.

"We love ya very much, baby... I love ya both so much... 'Specially yer gorgeous mummy. Sweet mouse with the most golden hair an' sparklin' eyes... kind heart an' flirty, but devoted. Couldn't ask fer a better lover an' mother... yer lucky sweetie, ta have such a great mum." He smiled, gently tickling the tiny foot before it disappeared, kissing the spot again.

Ron blushed, "Your beard tickles…"

Eric smirked, rubbing his scruff over the blond's belly, fingers tickling as his sides. "Tickle monster, am I?"

Ron laughed, wiggling, "St-top!"

Eric laughed along with him, wrapping the blond into a hug. "Get some sleep, sweetie, ya need it" he smiled, cuddling the boy as he closed his eyes.

The younger had no protests, closing his eyes and contently drifting off to sleep with his lover.


End file.
